Description
Book SynopsisRussia had an extraordinary 20th century, undergoing upheaval and transformation. Service provides a panoramic perspective on a country whose Soviet past encompassed revolution, civil war, mass terror, and two world wars. This new edition takes the story from 2002 through the presidency of Vladimir Putin to the election of Dmitri Medvedev.
Trade ReviewA fine book...It is a dizzying tale and Service tells it well; he has none of the ideological baggage that has so often bedeviled Western histories of Russia...A balanced, dispassionate and painstaking account. -- Brian Moynahan * Sunday Times *
A remarkable work...It demands to be read. -- Adam Zamoyski * Spectator *
Always well-informed and balanced in his judgments, clear and concise in his analysis...Service is extremely good on Soviet politics. -- Orlando Figes * Sunday Telegraph *
Table of Contents* Acknowledgements * A Note on Transliteration Maps * The Russian Empire in 1900 * The Soviet Union, 1924--1936 * The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe after 1945 * The Commonwealth of Independent States in 1997 * The Russian Federation in 1997 Introduction * And Russia? 1900--1914 * The Fall of the Romanovs 1914--1917 Part One * Conflicts and Crises 1917 * The October Revolution 1917--1918 * New World, Old World * Civil Wars 1918--1921 * The New Economic Policy 1921--1928 * Leninism and its Discontents Part Two * The First Five-Year Plan 1928--1932 * Fortresses under Storm: Culture, Religion, Nation * Terror upon Terror 1934--1938 * Coping with Big Brothers * The Second World War 1939--1945 Coda * Suffering and Struggle 1941--1945 Part Three * The Hammers of Peace 1945--1953 * The Despot and his Masks *'De-Stalinization' 1953--1961 * Hopes Unsettled 1961--1964 * Stabilization 1964--1970 Part Four *'Developed Socialism' 1970--1982 * Privilege and Alienation * Towards Reform 1982--1985 * Glasnost and Perestroika 1986--1988 * Imploding Imperium 1989 * Hail and Farewell 1990--1991 * Power and the Market 1992--1993 * The Lowering of Expectations 1994--1999 * And Russia? from 2000 Afterword * Notes * Bibliography * Index
