Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History(Cambridge Studies in the History of Science)

By the 1980s the Soviet scientific establishment had become the largest in the world, but very little of its history was known in the West. What has been needed for many years in order to fill that gap in our knowledge is a history of Russian and Soviet science written for the educated person who would like to read one book on the subject. This book has been written for that reader. The history of Russian and Soviet science is a story of remarkable achievements and frustrating failures. That history is presented here in a comprehensive form, and explained in terms of its social and political context. Major sections include the tsarist period, the impact of the Russian Revolution, the relationship between science and Soviet society, and the strengths and weaknesses of individual scientific disciplines. The book also discusses the changes brought to science in Russia and other republics by the collapse of communism in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Illustrations; Introduction; Part I. The Tsarist Period: 1. Russian science before 1800; 2. Science in nineteenth-century Russia; 3. Russian intellectuals and Darwinism; Part II. Russian Science and a Marxist Revolution: 4. The Russian Revolution and the scientific community; 5. The role of dialectical materialism: the authentic phase; 6. Stalinist ideology and the Lysenko affair; Part III. Science and Soviet Society: 7. Soviet attitudes towards the social and historical society; 8. Knowledge and power in Russian and Soviet science; 9. The organizational features and Soviet science; Conclusion; Appendices; Notes; Bibliographical essay; Index.

Review :
'Science in Russia and the Soviet Union is a splendid work, a breathtaking synthesis that is at once erudite and accessible, illuminating and a pleasure to read. Not the least of Professor Graham's achievements is to explain why, on the whole, science has fared surprisingly well in the Soviet state, bringing to his task not only immense learning but an appreciation of the powerful influence of social and political context on the shaping of scientific endeavors. A rich and rewarding book.' Daniel J. Kevles, California Institute of Technology 'Though the author modestly calls it but a short history of science in Russia and the Soviet Union, his work is almost encyclopedic in scope. Only someone with Professor Graham's vast knowledge of general, as well as Soviet, history of science could have authored a book as authoritative and informative.' Adam B. Ulam, Director, Russian Research Center 'In spare and accessible form, Graham offers a broad, insightful social and political history of Russian science as well as much food for thought about the general consequences of the national context within which science grows.' Foreign Affairs 'Loren R. Graham is the author of Science and Philosophy in the Soviet Union, which was nominated for the National Book Award in history. His most recent work is an edited volume, Science and the Soviet Social Order. He is Professor of History of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Visiting Professor of History of Science at Harvard University.' Cambridge History of Science