A Concise History of Russia

Written by Paul Bushkovitch

Narrated by Adam Barr

Accessible to students, tourists, and general listeners 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jun 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666150407

Reviews for A Concise History of Russia

[joseph12a · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very good intro to Russian history, if sometimes a bit clunky in its style and structure. I cannot comment much on its accuracy, as I am only a novice student of the subject matter, but the author does seem to accomplish the task of describing the darker side of modern Russian history honestly and without resorting to propagandistic moralizing.

The pretext for the book is that the author is drawing from sources that have only recently become available to Western authors, thus cutting through the problem of the old "Sovietologists" who mostly parroted the US government line, vs. the critics of US imperialism who were ideologically inclined to gloss over the cruelties of the Stalinist state. The author seems to be able to live outside of either of those camps.

Someone more knowledgeable than I may disagree; but, regardless, this book seems a fairly safe choice for anyone looking for a basic introduction that isn't trying to do anything particularly radical. It won't change your mind about anything, or present you with any particularly novel point of view, but it'll give you a solid baseline for you to build on if you want to learn more, or a sufficient overview if that's all you're looking for.