Russia and the Soviet Union

by Thompson, John M.

• ISBN13: 9780813343952
• ISBN10: 081334395X
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-28
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

This lucid account of Russian and Soviet history presents major trends and events from ancient Kievan Rus' to Vladimir Putin's presidency of the twenty-first century. Now thoroughly revised and updated,Russia and the Soviet Uniondoes not shy away from controversial topics, including the impact of the Mongol conquest, the paradoxes of Peter the Great, the "inevitability" of the 1917 Revolution, the Stalinist terror, and the Gorbachev reform effort. The sixth edition includes a new chapter on Vladimir Putin, additional treatment of social and foreign policy issues, and an updated chapter on post-Soviet Russia and the Yeltsin era. Distinguished by its brevity and amply supplemented with useful maps, illustrations, photos, and suggested readings, this essential text provides balanced coverage of all periods of Russian history and incorporates economic, social, and cultural developments as well as politics and foreign policy. Contents 1. Ancient Russia and the Kievan State 2. Russia Divided and Conquered, 10541462 3. Moscow and "the Gathering of the Russian Lands," 13281533 4. Ivan the Terrible and the Time of Troubles, 15331618 5. The Molding of Russian Society, 16131689 6. Peter the Great and Westernization, 16891725 7. Change and Continuity, 17251801 8. Power, Backwardness, and Creativity, 18011855 9. Reform, Reaction, and Modernization, 18551904 10. Revolution, Reform, and War, 19041917 11. Revolution, Civil War, and the Founding of Soviet Society, 19171928 12. The Second Revolution, the Stalinist System, and World War II, 19281946 13. The Soviet Union as a Superpower: Change, Stagnation, and "Cold War," 19461984 14. The Gorbachev "Revolution" and the Collapse of the Soviet Union, 19831991 15. The "New" Russia in the Post-Soviet Era 19912000 16. Putin's Paradoxes

Author Biography

John M. Thompson taught history at Indiana University for seventeen years and was a distinguieshed visiting professor at the U.S. Air Force Adcademy and the Air War College. He is currently teaching Russian and world history at Midcoast Senior College in Maine.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Preface to the First Edition	p. xiii
Ancient Russia and the Kievan State	p. 1
The Russian Land	p. 1
The Peoples of Russia	p. 6
The Slavs Come to Russia	p. 9
The Formation of the Kievan State	p. 11
How Did Kievan Russians Make a Living?	p. 13
Kievan Society	p. 16
Religion and Culture in Kievan Russia	p. 18
Power and Politics in Kievan Russia	p. 22
The Fall and Significance of Kievan Russia	p. 24
Further Reading	p. 26
Russia Divided and Conquered, 1054-1462	p. 29
Russia Divided	p. 30
The Mongol Scourge	p. 34
The Impact of the Mongols	p. 38
The Decline of Mongol Power	p. 43
Conclusion	p. 44
Further Reading	p. 45
Moscow and the "Gathering of the Russian Lands," 1328-1533	p. 47
The Odds Against Moscow	p. 48
Moscow's Advantages	p. 49
The Unification of Russia, 1328-1533	p. 56
Conclusion	p. 64
Further Reading	p. 65
Ivan the Terrible and the Time of Troubles, 1533-1618	p. 67
The Personality and Character of Ivan the Terrible	p. 68
The Reforms of Ivan IV	p. 70
Ivan Versus the Aristocracy	p. 72
The Time of Troubles, 1598-1613	p. 77
Conclusion	p. 83
Further Reading	p. 84
The Molding of Russian Society, 1613-1689	p. 87
Serfdom	p. 89
The Autocracy	p. 93
The Orthodox Church	p. 96
The Expansion of Russia	p. 99
Relations with the West	p. 103
Conclusion	p. 104
Further Reading	p. 105
Peter the Great and Westernization, 1689-1725	p. 107
Peter's Coming of Age	p. 109
Peter's Personality and Character	p. 110
Peter in War and Diplomacy	p. 112
Peter's Reforms	p. 115
Resistance to Peter	p. 120
Significance of Peter the Great	p. 121
Further Reading	p. 123
Change and Continuity, 1725-1801	p. 125
Peter's Successors, 1725-1762	p. 128
Catherine the Great, 1762-1796	p. 130
Russian Expansion and Colonization	p. 135
Economic and Social Development	p. 138
The Changing Role of the Nobility	p. 140
Education and Culture	p. 142
The Reign of Paul I, 1796-1801	p. 144
Conclusion	p. 146
Further Reading	p. 147
Power, Backwardness, and Creativity, 1801-1855	p. 149
The Serf Economy	p. 151
Russia Unchanged	p. 154
Creativity and Dissent	p. 159
Russia: Arbiter of Europe, Colonizer of Asia and America	p. 162
Conclusion	p. 166
Further Reading	p. 167
Reform, Reaction, and Modernization, 1855-1904	p. 169
The Era of the Great Reforms, 1855-1881	p. 171
Terror and Reaction	p. 175
Economic and Social Modernization, 1861-1905	p. 179
Competing Ideologies	p. 184
Conclusion	p. 190
Further Reading	p. 191
Revolution, Reform, and War, 1904-1917	p. 193
The Revolution of 1905	p. 195
The Duma Period, 1906-1914	p. 200
The Silver Age: Russian Culture, 1890-1917	p. 205
Russian Involvement in World War I, 1914-1917	p. 208
Conclusion	p. 210
Further Reading	p. 213
Revolution, Civil War, and the Founding of Soviet Society, 1917-1928	p. 215
The February Revolution: The Collapse of the Tsarist System	p. 216
The Bolsheviks Come to Power	p. 222
Civil War and Foreign Intervention, 1918-1921	p. 227
The New Economic Policy and Coexistence, 1921-1928	p. 233
The Struggle for Power	p. 236
Conclusion	p. 239
Further Reading	p. 240
The Second Revolution, the Stalinist System, and World War II, 1928-1946	p. 243
The Revolution from Above: Industrialization and Collectivization	p. 244
The Stalinist System	p. 252
Soviet Culture, 1917-1953	p. 257
Stalin and the World, 1928-1946	p. 258
Conclusion	p. 266
Further Reading	p. 267
The Soviet Union as a Superpower: Change, Stagnation, and "Cold War," 1946-1984	p. 269
Reconstruction and Renewed Stalinism	p. 270
The Cold War	p. 271
Ideological Rigidity and Repression	p. 278
The Succession to Stalin and the Rise of Khrushchev	p. 279
Peaceful Coexistence and Troubles in Eastern Europe	p. 284
Origins of the Sino-Soviet Split	p. 287
Ups and Downs in Soviet-Western Relations	p. 289
Khrushchev: Reformer or Repairman?	p. 291
Bureaucratic Stability Under Brezhnev and His Successors	p. 294
Detente and Its Erosion	p. 297
The Changing Soviet Society	p. 302
Conclusion	p. 305
Further Reading	p. 306
The Gorbachev "Revolution" and the Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1983-1991	p. 307
The Origins of the Gorbachev Reforms	p. 308
Efforts to Rejuvenate the Economy	p. 312
"New Thinking" in Foreign Policy	p. 315
Glasnost'	p. 319
Democratization	p. 322
Gorbachev's Downfall	p. 324
The Attempted Coup of August 1991	p. 328
Conclusion	p. 330
Further Reading	p. 332
The "New" Russia in the Post-Soviet ERA, 1991-2000	p. 335
The Quadruple Revolution	p. 336
On the High Road to Capitalism	p. 338
What Is a "Normal" Life?	p. 341
The Rocky Road to Democracy	p. 347
Russia, Its Neighbors, and the World	p. 355
Conclusion	p. 361
Further Reading	p. 362
Putin's Paradoxes, 2000-2008	p. 363
The Meteoric Rise of Vladimir Putin	p. 364
Good Times	p. 367
Now, the Bad News	p. 368
Consumerism	p. 372
Nationalism	p. 373
Crises	p. 374
"Sovereign Democracy"	p. 374
Elections	p. 376
The Challenge of Chechnya	p. 379
Putin's Assertive Foreign Policy	p. 381
Russia and Its Neighbors	p. 383
Russia and the European Union	p. 386
Conclusion	p. 388
Further Reading	p. 389
Notes	p. 391
Index	p. 395
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.