Description
Book SynopsisAn original and thought-provoking text, Russian and Soviet History uses noteworthy themes and important events from Russian history to spark classroom discussion. Consisting of twenty essays written by experts in each area, the book does not simply repeat the conventional themes found in nearly all Russian history texts, anthologies, and documentary compilations. Rather, it showcases current thinking on Russian cultural, political, economic, and social history from the end of the sixteenth century to the demise of the Soviet experiment. Informed by archival work in the former Soviet Union and a broad range of published sources, this book is intended to introduce students to Russian history in an accessible and provocative format. Its eclectic essays offer readers an incomparable taste of the complexity and richness of Russia as it has evolved from late Muscovy to the modern era. This text is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in Russian history and is a great resource for
Trade ReviewThe essays are uniformly good; some are excellent. Recommended. * CHOICE *
Ranging over the last four centuries of Russian history, this collection of essays by both established and young scholars offers fresh perspectives. Some chapters offer new insights into mainstream issues, while others examine topics heretofore bypassed. Written for a broad audience, these essays contain gems for established scholars as well as nuggets for readers new to Russian history. They provide answers to some lingering questions even as they stimulate the reader’s curiosity to ask more. This volume is a good example of 'post-hole' history. -- George E. Munro, Virginia Commonwealth University
An intriguing and diverse collection of essays on Russian and Soviet history. -- Thomas Lahusen, University of Toronto
Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Seventeenth Century Chapter 1: The Disturbing Legacy of the Time of Troubles Chester S. L. Dunning Part I: The Russian Eighteenth Century Chapter 2: The Revolution of Peter the Great James Cracraft Chapter 3: Masks and Masquerade at the Court of Elizabeth Petrovna (1741–1742) Jelena Pogosjan Chapter 4: Russia's "First" Scientist: The (Self-)Fashioning of Mikhail Lomonosov Steven A. Usitalo Chapter 5: Andrei Bolotov: Portrait of an Enlightened Seigneur Colum Leckey Chapter 6: Did Catherine the Great and Grigorii Potemkin Wed? Some Myths, Facts, and Observations on Secret Royal Marriages Douglas Smith Part II: The Russian Nineteenth Century Chapter 7: The Invention of "Russianness" in the Late Eighteenth–Early Nineteenth Century Alexander M. Martin Chapter 8: Starts and Stops: The Development of Official Diplomatic Relations between Russia and the United States William Benton Whisenhunt Chapter 9: The Decembrist Pavel Pestel and the Roots of Russian Republicanism Patrick O'Meara Chapter 10: Economic Backwardness in Geographical Perspective: Russia's Nineteenth Century Susan P. McCaffray Chapter 11: The Trial of Vera Zasulich Ana Siljak Chapter 12: The Zemstvo in Late Imperial Russia: Social and Political Change in the Countryside Thomas E. Porter Part III: Soviet Russia Chapter 13: Popular Aspirations, the New Politics, and the October Revolution Rex A. Wade Chapter 14: The Jewish Question in the Soviet Union, 1917–1953 Jeffrey Veidlinger Chapter 15: Aviation Cinema in Stalin's Russia: Conformity, Collectivity, and the Conflict with Fascism Scott W. Palmer Chapter 16: Political Loyalties in Leningrad During the "Great Patriotic War" Richard Bidlack Chapter 17: Empire Besieged: Postwar Politics (1945–1953) Kees Boterbloem Chapter 18: Khrushchev: The Impact of Personality on Politics William Taubman Chapter 19: Late-Soviet Prerequisites for Post-Soviet Disasters: Reflections Sergei Arutiunov Chapter 20: Gorbachev and the Soviet Collapse: Stirrings of Accountable Government? Martha Merritt
