Russian and Soviet History

From the Time of Troubles to the Collapse of the Soviet Union

Edited by Steven A. Usitalo and William Benton Whisenhunt

An original and thought-provoking text, Russian and Soviet History uses noteworthy themes and important events from Russian history to spark classroom discussion. Consisting of twenty essays written by experts in each area, the book does not simply repeat the conventional themes found in nearly all Russian history texts, anthologies, and documentary compilations. Rather, it showcases current thinking on Russian cultural, political, economic, and social history from the end of the sixteenth century to the demise of the Soviet "experiment."

Informed by archival work in the former Soviet Union and a broad range of published sources, this book is intended to introduce students to Russian history in an accessible and provocative format. Its eclectic essays offer readers an incomparable taste of the complexity and richness of Russia as it has evolved from late Muscovy to the modern era. This text is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in Russian history and is a great resource for scholars in the field.

Contributions by: Sergei Arutiunov, Richard Bidlack, Kees Boterbloem, James Cracraft, Chester S. L. Dunning, Colum Leckey, Alexander M. Martin, Susan P. McCaffray, Martha Merritt, Patrick O'Meara, Scott W. Palmer, Jelena Pogosjan, Thomas E. Porter, Ana Siljak, Douglas Smith, William Taubman, Steven A. Usitalo, Jeffrey Veidlinger, Rex A. Wade, and William Benton Whisenhunt

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 306 • Trim: 6½ x 9½

978-0-7425-5590-7 • Hardback • January 2008 • $150.00 • (£115.00)

978-0-7425-5591-4 • Paperback • February 2008 • $67.00 • (£52.00)

978-1-4616-4318-0 • eBook • January 2008 • $63.50 • (£49.00)

Subjects: History / Europe / Russia & the Former Soviet Union, Social Science / Regional Studies

Russian and Soviet History

From the Time of Troubles to the Collapse of the Soviet Union

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

An original and thought-provoking text, Russian and Soviet History uses noteworthy themes and important events from Russian history to spark classroom discussion. Consisting of twenty essays written by experts in each area, the book does not simply repeat the conventional themes found in nearly all Russian history texts, anthologies, and documentary compilations. Rather, it showcases current thinking on Russian cultural, political, economic, and social history from the end of the sixteenth century to the demise of the Soviet "experiment."

Informed by archival work in the former Soviet Union and a broad range of published sources, this book is intended to introduce students to Russian history in an accessible and provocative format. Its eclectic essays offer readers an incomparable taste of the complexity and richness of Russia as it has evolved from late Muscovy to the modern era. This text is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in Russian history and is a great resource for scholars in the field.

Contributions by: Sergei Arutiunov, Richard Bidlack, Kees Boterbloem, James Cracraft, Chester S. L. Dunning, Colum Leckey, Alexander M. Martin, Susan P. McCaffray, Martha Merritt, Patrick O'Meara, Scott W. Palmer, Jelena Pogosjan, Thomas E. Porter, Ana Siljak, Douglas Smith, William Taubman, Steven A. Usitalo, Jeffrey Veidlinger, Rex A. Wade, and William Benton Whisenhunt

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 306 • Trim: 6½ x 9½

978-0-7425-5590-7 • Hardback • January 2008 • $150.00 • (£115.00)

978-0-7425-5591-4 • Paperback • February 2008 • $67.00 • (£52.00)

978-1-4616-4318-0 • eBook • January 2008 • $63.50 • (£49.00)

Subjects: History / Europe / Russia & the Former Soviet Union, Social Science / Regional Studies

Author

Steven A. Usitalo is assistant professor of history at Northern State University. William Benton Whisenhunt is professor of history at the College of DuPage.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Seventeenth Century
Chapter 1: The Disturbing Legacy of the Time of Troubles
Chester S. L. Dunning
Part I: The Russian Eighteenth Century
Chapter 2: The Revolution of Peter the Great
James Cracraft
Chapter 3: Masks and Masquerade at the Court of Elizabeth Petrovna (1741–1742)
Jelena Pogosjan
Chapter 4: Russia's "First" Scientist: The (Self-)Fashioning of Mikhail Lomonosov
Steven A. Usitalo
Chapter 5: Andrei Bolotov: Portrait of an Enlightened Seigneur
Colum Leckey
Chapter 6: Did Catherine the Great and Grigorii Potemkin Wed? Some Myths, Facts, and Observations on Secret Royal Marriages
Douglas Smith
Part II: The Russian Nineteenth Century
Chapter 7: The Invention of "Russianness" in the Late Eighteenth–Early Nineteenth Century
Alexander M. Martin
Chapter 8: Starts and Stops: The Development of Official Diplomatic Relations between Russia and the United States
William Benton Whisenhunt
Chapter 9: The Decembrist Pavel Pestel and the Roots of Russian Republicanism
Patrick O'Meara
Chapter 10: Economic Backwardness in Geographical Perspective: Russia's Nineteenth Century
Susan P. McCaffray
Chapter 11: The Trial of Vera Zasulich
Ana Siljak
Chapter 12: The Zemstvo in Late Imperial Russia: Social and Political Change in the Countryside
Thomas E. Porter
Part III: Soviet Russia
Chapter 13: Popular Aspirations, the New Politics, and the October Revolution
Rex A. Wade
Chapter 14: The Jewish Question in the Soviet Union, 1917–1953
Jeffrey Veidlinger
Chapter 15: Aviation Cinema in Stalin's Russia: Conformity, Collectivity, and the Conflict with Fascism
Scott W. Palmer
Chapter 16: Political Loyalties in Leningrad During the "Great Patriotic War"
Richard Bidlack
Chapter 17: Empire Besieged: Postwar Politics (1945–1953)
Kees Boterbloem
Chapter 18: Khrushchev: The Impact of Personality on Politics
William Taubman
Chapter 19: Late-Soviet Prerequisites for Post-Soviet Disasters: Reflections
Sergei Arutiunov
Chapter 20: Gorbachev and the Soviet Collapse: Stirrings of Accountable Government?
Martha Merritt

Reviews

The essays are uniformly good; some are excellent. Recommended.
— Choice Reviews

Ranging over the last four centuries of Russian history, this collection of essays by both established and young scholars offers fresh perspectives. Some chapters offer new insights into mainstream issues, while others examine topics heretofore bypassed. Written for a broad audience, these essays contain gems for established scholars as well as nuggets for readers new to Russian history. They provide answers to some lingering questions even as they stimulate the reader's curiosity to ask more. This volume is a good example of 'post-hole' history.
— George E. Munro, Virginia Commonwealth University

An intriguing and diverse collection of essays on Russian and Soviet history.
— Thomas Lahusen, University of Toronto

Features

Written accessibly for students

Collects original essays by recognized specialists

Encompasses both Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union

Includes comparative asides to European developments