ABSTRACT

This text has established itself as the best general introduction to Russian history, providing a forceful and highly readable survey from earliest times to the post-Soviet State. At the heart of the book is the changing relationship between the State and Russian society at large. The second edition has been substantially rewritten and updated and new material and fresh insights from recently accessible research have been incorporated into every chapter.

chapter 1|16 pages

The origins of the Russian Empire

chapter 2|21 pages

The genesis of Russian ‘absolutism'

chapter 3|27 pages

The prime of the Empire

chapter 7|29 pages

1917

chapter 10|30 pages

World War and Cold War (1941–1953)

chapter 12|12 pages

Stagnation and decline (mid-1970s–1985)

chapter 14|14 pages

Epilogue