A vigorous and popular survey of the whole sweep of Russian history to explain Russia, and the Russians, of today. Within a broad chronological framework, this textbook concentrates on a number of key themes that are central to that understanding, including the late imperial and Soviet periods, the end of the USSR, and the travails of post-Soviet Russia.
'...an excellent book, which is a first rate guide to anyone embarking on a study of the history of the Soviet Union.'
Journal of Russian Studies
1. The origins of the Russian empire 2. The genesis of Russian absolutism 3. The prime of the empire 4. The great reforms and the development of the revolutionary intelligentsia 5. Industrialisation and revolution 6. The end of the Russian empire 7. 1917 8. Civil War and the consolidation of Bolshevik power 9. Stalin's revolution from above 10. World war and cold war 11. Stabilisation under Khrushchev and Brezhnev 12. Stagnation and decline 13. Perestroika and the fall of the Soviet Union.14. Epilogue