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 | | Russia: A History by Gregory L. Freeze (Editor) ISBN-10: 9780192158994 ISBN-10: 0-19-215899-6 ISBN-13: 9780192158994 ISBN-13: 978-0-19-215899-4 Hardcover 1998-04-09 Oxford University Press, USA Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Amazon.com In this heavily illustrated volume, English, American, and German (but, strangely, no Russian) scholars gather to discuss the development of Russia from its medieval founding in the face of Mongol invasions to the election of Boris Yeltsin. The authors are not reluctant to discuss unpleasant truths, such as the officially tolerated famine of the 1930s and the rise of totalitarianism. They also offer controversial theories, such as the view that Lenin, had he lived, would not have supported the cult of personality that surrounded him after his death. The authors take a generally positive view of Russia's democratic future, noting that the present specter of decline and stagnation ignores the fact that much of Russia's economy is kept in the shadows, presumably to avoid taxation, and that with more state intervention, not less, the economy will grow as the Russian state rebuilds itself. | ||
Product Description Since the coming of perestroika in 1985, scholars have had unprecedented access to Russian archives. In Russia: A History, editor Gregory Freeze and twelve other American and European historians have mined these newly opened archives and browsed through the best contemporary scholarship to provide a major reinterpretation of the history of one of the world's great powers. Here is the first major history of Russia to appear since the fall of the Soviet Union, beginning in the 8th century and ranging across a thousand years to the recently established Commonwealth of Independent States. What emerges is a nation of extremes--of imperial opulence and abject poverty, tyrannical power and subversive resistance, artistic achievement and economic crisis, glittering cities and frozen steppes. The contributors capture a powerful sense of Russia's national destiny of repeated themes and unchanging conditions. We see, for instance, that time and again, all-powerful autocrats like Ivan the Terrible and Stalin employed brutality to eliminate any challenge to their authority. Yet their hold on power was always under attack, threatened by bureaucratic incompetence, pervasive corruption, and resistance from below. Russian rulers have also had to contend with the same immense physical challenges: a huge and widely dispersed population, a perennial dearth of means and men to govern, a primitive infrastructure which, as the authors show, periodically dissolved into times of trouble, as in 1598, 1917, and 1991. Handsomely illustrated with nearly 170 illustrations, including 12 color plates, this landmark history cuts through the myths that have surrounded Russia to tell the absorbing story of one of the world's most powerful nations. | ||
Reviews | ||
Very readable This is a comprehensive book covering several hundred years of Russian history. Although the book is divided into 'bite sized chunks', make no mistake; this is no lightweight read. Gregory Freeze has an obvious grasp of the enigma that is Russia and has the skill to present his knowledge in a way that makes complex history fun to read instead of a chore. The revised edition takes into account the information that has become available since the fall of Communism in the USSR. This makes it all the more interesting as it helps dispel some of the myths propagated by the West during the cold war. I would recommend this book to anyone with a fascination for Russia but particularly for the undergraduate studying the topic. | ||
For Those With Strong Interest in the Subject Gregory Freeze is an erudite scholar, and it shows with the current volume. This is not a popular book. It is written for those with some knowledge of the subject, who will appreciate the possibilities and limitations of serious historical reviews of events most of us find difficult to understand. However, understand these events we must, as Russia is not the only country to thrive on misinformation and misunderstanding of its place in the world. | ||
Academic and Revisionist A couple other reviews do a good job of stating the problems with this book (Setliff and an unnamed reviewer). It is academic and dry. When it gets to the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin's role and character is minimalized and there is not even a mention of the murder of Nicholas II. Considering it blatant propganda at that point, I didn't read on past that. The comments about Stalinism in other reviews go in line with what I read about Bolshevism. | ||
Barely worthwhile... Classic revisionism on Stalinist crimes As somewhat of a history buff, I bought this book for superficial reasons: neat cover and the bold ambitious title. In hindsight, I should have read more reviews. This book covers Russia from early Czarist times of Ivan the Terrible through the Sickle-and-Hammer days of the Russian Revolution. It features a number of short essay chapters from various contributors. Like a previous reviewer indicated, this book focuses more on the leaders and leadership than anything else. While this might be an easy way to approach an historically authoritarian country's history, it's not the best way. At times, certain chapters make for a totally dry and boring read. However, there were some interesting insights by a few writers, but marginal in number. Considering the horrific revelations of Soviet Russia's totalitarian past, the revisonist interpertation on Stalinism is a real crime. Especially since this book was so ambitious with it's 'in-depth' probing the Stalinist era. Yet, it only glosses over the surface, while downplaying and denying communist crimes all the way. Also it is full of pictures, but mostly those Stalinist-era propaganda variety that hails ambitious production and public works projects. At best, this book serves as an amateurish survey of Russian history. You'll need the Black Book of Communism to temper the revisionism if you get this book. I'd like to unbuy this book. | ||
Unfortunately, a boring book This book isn't so much a history of Russia, but a history of Russia's leaders and leadership. It delves into the machinations of the czars, rulers, bolshiveks, and all their minions with monotonous detail, but misses the importance of the significant EVENTS that shaped Russian history. Napoleon's invasion of Russia, why he failed, why the Russians triumphed, is barely analyzed. Discussion of the Russo-Japanese war doesn't even rate an entire paragraph! (Now, if the author ever wanted to delve into the mind of a Russian czar, here was a great place to do it. What prompted Nicolas II to provoke a war with Japan? What made him so confident that he sailed his navy halfway around the world to battle with the Japanese, only to suffer a near-total defeat? Who was in charge of the Russian navy, and what mistakes were made?) Skip this book. Maybe someone will find a better history of Russia out there, and write a review so we can find it. | ||