Russia: A Historical Introduction from Kievan Rus' to the Present

This lucid account of Russian and Soviet history presents major trends and events from Kievan Rus’ to Vladimir Putin’s presidency in the twenty-first century. Directly addressing controversial topics, this book looks at issues such as 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. This new ninth edition has been updated to include a discussion of Russian participation in the War in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, Russia’s role in the Syrian civil war, the rise of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s confirmation as “president for life,” recent Russian relations with the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union as well as contemporary social and cultural trends. Distinguished by its brevity and supplemented with substantially updated suggested readings that feature new scholarship on Russia and a thoroughly updated index, 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. Suitable for undergraduates as well as the general reader with an interest in Russia, this text is a concise, single volume on one of the world’s most significant lands.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: Ancient Russia and Kievan Rus’ 2. Kievan Rus’ in Crisis and the Mongol Contact, 1054–1462 3. The Rise of Moscow, 1328–1533 4. The Russian Empire & The Time of Troubles, 1533–1618 5. The Formation of Imperial Russian Society, 1613–1689 6. Peter the Great and the Conundrum of Westernization, 1689–1725 7. Change and Continuity, 1725–1801 8. Autocracy, Dissent, and Ferment, 1801–1855 9. Reform, Reaction, and Modernization, 1855–1904 10. Conflict, Revolution, and War, 1904–1917 11. Revolution, Civil War, and the Founding of the Soviet State, 1917–1928 12. The Stalin Revolution and World War II, 1928–1946 13. Stability and Stagnation during the Cold War, 1946–1984 14. The Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985–1991 15. Russia in a Post-Soviet World, 1991–2000 16. Russia under Putin

About the Author :
Christopher J. Ward received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He teaches Russian and world history at Clayton State University in metropolitan Atlanta, USA, and is the author of Brezhnev’s Folly: The Building of BAM and Late Soviet Socialism. The late John M. Thompson was a graduate of Columbia University’s Russian Institute and taught history at Indiana University, USA, for seventeen years. He was a distinguished visiting professor at the United States Air Force Academy and the Air War College.