Description
Accessible to students, tourists and general readers alike, this book provides a broad overview of Russian history since the ninth century. Paul Bushkovitch emphasizes the enormous changes in the understanding of Russian history resulting from the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, new material has come to light on the history of the Soviet era, providing new conceptions of Russia's pre-revolutionary past. The book traces not only the political history of Russia, but also developments in its literature, art and science. Bushkovitch describes well-known cultural figures, such as Chekhov, Tolstoy and Mendeleev, in their institutional and historical contexts. Though the 1917 revolution, the resulting Soviet system and the Cold War were a crucial part of Russian and world history, Bushkovitch presents earlier developments as more than just a prelude to Bolshevik power.
Table of Contents
1. Russia before Russia; 2. Moscow, Novgorod, Lithuania, and the Mongols; 3. The emergence of Russia; 4. Consolidation and revolt; 5. Peter the Great; 6. Two empresses; 7. Catherine the Great; 8. Russia in the age of revolution; 9. The pinnacle of autocracy; 10. Culture and autocracy; 11. The era of great reforms; 12. From serfdom to nascent capitalism; 13. The golden age of Russian culture; 14. Russia as an empire; 15. Autocracy in decline; 16. War and revolution; 17. Compromise and preparation; 18. Revolution in Russian culture; 19. Building Utopia; 20. War; 21. Consolidation and stagnation; 22. Soviet culture; 23. The Cold War; Epilogue: the end of the USSR.
