Russia: A HistoryGregory L. Freeze Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "a brisk, exciting tour of Russia's long journey from its Kievan origins," Russia: A History cuts through the myths and mystery that have surrounded this nation from its earliest days, with startling revelations from classified archives that until recently were not even known to exist. A distinguished team of historians has stripped away the propaganda of the past to tell the definitive story of Russia, from tenth-century Kiev and Muscovy through empire and revolution to the fall of Communism and the "new order" of the early 21st century. What emerges is a nation of extremes--of imperial opulence and abject poverty, tyrannical power and subversive resistance, artistic achievement and economic crisis, glittering cities and frozen steppes. A compelling story in its own right, it is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Russia and its place in the world. This new edition has been thoroughly updated to take into account developments under Vladimir Putin. |
Contents
THE BEGINNINGS TO 1450 | 1 |
2 MUSCOVITE RUSSIA 14501598 | 31 |
3 FROM MUSCOVY TOWARDS ST PETERSBURG 15981689 | 63 |
4 THE PETRINE ERA AND AFTER 16891740 | 100 |
5 THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT 17401801 | 132 |
6 PREREFORM RUSSIA 18011855 | 168 |
7 REFORM AND COUNTER REFORM 18551890 | 199 |
8 REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA 18901914 | 234 |
12 THE GREAT FATHERLAND WAR AND LATE STALINISM 19411953 | 374 |
19531985 | 406 |
FROM REFORM TO DISINTEGRATION 19851999 | 451 |
15 REBUILDING RUSSIA | 489 |
Maps | 528 |
Chronology | 539 |
Further Reading | 563 |
Photographic acknowledgements | 598 |
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administration agriculture Alexander army authority autocracy Baltic became Bolshevik Boris boyars campaign capital Catherine cent Central Committee centre century Chechnya Church civil Communist Cossacks Council crisis cultural decades December defence demand democratic despite Dmitrii Duma dynastic early economic elected élite emancipation Empire especially established European forces foreign German Gorbachev grand prince Imperial Russia important increased industrial institutions intelligentsia Ivan Khrushchev Kiev Kievan Rus labour land leaders leadership Lenin liberal major ment military million minister Mongol Moscow Muscovy nobility nobles Novgorod October officials oprichnina organized Orthodox peasants perestroika Peter Petrine Poland political popular population production provinces Putin radical reform regime reign revolution revolutionary Riurikid role ruler Russian serfs Smolensk social socialist society Soviet Union St Petersburg Stalin Stalinist status Streltsy territories throne tion tsar Ukraine USSR Vasilii Vladimir Volga Western workers Yeltsin zemstvo