History

A Short History of Russia

A Short History of Russia

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-06-12 06:51:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mark Galeotti
  • ISBN：152919928X
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Summary

'Fascinating。。。 One of the most astute political commentators on Putin and modern Russia' Financial Times

'An amazing achievement' Peter Frankopan

Can anyone truly understand Russia？

Russia is a country with no natural borders， no single ethnos， no true central identity。 At the crossroads of Europe and Asia， it is everyone's 'other'。 And yet it is one of the most powerful nations on earth， a master game-player on the global stage with a rich history of war and peace， poets and revolutionaries。

In this essential whistle-stop tour of the world's most complex nation， Mark Galeotti takes us behind the myths to the heart of the Russian story: from the formation of a nation to its early legends - including Ivan the Terrible and Catherine the Great - to the rise and fall of the Romanovs， the Russian Revolution， the Cold War， Chernobyl and the end of the Soviet Union - plus the rise of a politician named Vladimir Putin， and the events leading to the Ukrainian war。

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Reviews

M Carmichael ，

Very accessible history。 Covers it all: Mongols， Peter the Great， Ivan the Terrible， Catherine， Napoleon's invasion， Communist Revolution， WW2， Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika， 。。 Ukraine 🇺🇦 back and forth ownership throughout。 🇷🇺 Helps explain why Ukraine & especially Kyiv is so important to Putin （history， geopolitics， import-export hub）。 Informative！ Very accessible history。 Covers it all: Mongols， Peter the Great， Ivan the Terrible， Catherine， Napoleon's invasion， Communist Revolution， WW2， Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika， 。。 Ukraine 🇺🇦 back and forth ownership throughout。 🇷🇺 Helps explain why Ukraine & especially Kyiv is so important to Putin （history， geopolitics， import-export hub）。 Informative！ 。。。more

Simone Angela ，

I didn't retain much from this book despite going back over and over。 I didn't retain much from this book despite going back over and over。 。。。more

Thomas H ，

Very good， simple， and quick overview of pretty much the entire history of Russia。 Very accessible for people who haven’t studied Russia in the past。

Shreyas ，

Note to people who want to read it: This book is opinionated。 In my view it is a balanced opinion。 If you're a Russophile and can't stay composed while reading some criticism， please don't read it。This book is a perfect example of what summary should be。 It summarizes the entire history of Russia right from the start of Ryurikid dynasty through the Romanovs to Putin。 It's a vast timespan of 1300-1400 years， please don't expect it to contain daily accounts of events。 It is really hard to fit hist Note to people who want to read it: This book is opinionated。 In my view it is a balanced opinion。 If you're a Russophile and can't stay composed while reading some criticism， please don't read it。This book is a perfect example of what summary should be。 It summarizes the entire history of Russia right from the start of Ryurikid dynasty through the Romanovs to Putin。 It's a vast timespan of 1300-1400 years， please don't expect it to contain daily accounts of events。 It is really hard to fit history that vast in less than 200 pages。 It's a summary， please don't expect it to be more than that。Mark did a great job to try to fit that much information in a commendable language。I gave four stars， just in case it didn't cover some points that might be significant in the Russian history or some facts might have been recorded incorrectly， which I can't confirm or deny。 Events， people， cultures and histories have more than one perspective。 This one is Mark's own perspective， and a good one at that。 。。。more

Nick Quenga ，

Good chapters with divisions and major events/timeline at the start。 Great references for further reasons at the end of each chapter。 Admits it's limits as a very brief survey of Russian history without any special focus on political， military， or cultural areas。 Good chapters with divisions and major events/timeline at the start。 Great references for further reasons at the end of each chapter。 Admits it's limits as a very brief survey of Russian history without any special focus on political， military， or cultural areas。 。。。more

Derrick ，

An interesting history of russia

Shay ，

An informative canter summarising over 1000 years of Russian history in a very readable less than 200 pages， bringing it right up to the modern day。 Very much recommended as a short introduction to Russian history with a strong link to the present， especially if you know as little as I did。

Chanah :） ，

Love that it talks abt the invasion in February towards the end， and puts it in context of Russia’s entire history

Rob Mead ，

It jumps around， it loses focus， it’s repetitive in style and analogy， but it does give you a quick and reasonable insight into how Russia came to be

Huw Williams ，

Very concise history of Russia， it provides good context for what is going on in Ukraine at the moment。 The first few chapters I found hard to keep track， but it is 12 centuries condensed into less than 200 pages。 Great for giving a brief overview of the history of Russia。

Cynda ，

This is a good starting place to lay down some foundational information。 What helped me even more was having a good group read discussion at GR Nonfiction Book Club。 One member lives in Ukraine where he grew up。 So I took opportunity to refine my understanding of what I was reading。 I had always struggled to understand the origins of the Russian Revolution。 Now I understand the revolution was comprised of various groups that sought redress to a variety of grievances。Reading and listening to news This is a good starting place to lay down some foundational information。 What helped me even more was having a good group read discussion at GR Nonfiction Book Club。 One member lives in Ukraine where he grew up。 So I took opportunity to refine my understanding of what I was reading。 I had always struggled to understand the origins of the Russian Revolution。 Now I understand the revolution was comprised of various groups that sought redress to a variety of grievances。Reading and listening to news bulletins since I was very little girl。 My father listened to Walter Cronkite on CBS evening news。 I have ever not made sense of my big question about the genesis of the Revolution。 This short history answered this and a couple of other questions。Glad I read the book。 Grateful for the discussion。 。。。more

Steve ，

One nice feature was that Galeotti provided a short bibliography of recommended further reading for each section of the book。

Mo ，

A whistle stop tour of a 1000 years history of Russia。 Each chapter has a list of recommended reading if you want to delve more deeply into specific Russian History。 Recommended if you want to get a very quick overview of this very complex region。

Francis Vandecaveye ，

Must-read voor iedereen die wat meer inzicht wil in dat grote land， Rusland。Van de Roes， die "op uitnodiging" kwamen， tot Poetin。 Ertussen heb je de Goude Horde van de Mongolen， enkele tsaren， Lenin， Stalin en Gorbatsjov。Ondertussen ondergaat de gewone Rus。 Na 1000 jaar onderdrukking， moeten we er niet van verschieten dat Poetin weinig tot geen weerstand krijgt。 Wie dat namelijk wel biedt， komt terecht in de goelags of "verdwijnt"。Als je Rusland wat beter wil begrijpen， is dit een aanrader！ Must-read voor iedereen die wat meer inzicht wil in dat grote land， Rusland。Van de Roes， die "op uitnodiging" kwamen， tot Poetin。 Ertussen heb je de Goude Horde van de Mongolen， enkele tsaren， Lenin， Stalin en Gorbatsjov。Ondertussen ondergaat de gewone Rus。 Na 1000 jaar onderdrukking， moeten we er niet van verschieten dat Poetin weinig tot geen weerstand krijgt。 Wie dat namelijk wel biedt， komt terecht in de goelags of "verdwijnt"。Als je Rusland wat beter wil begrijpen， is dit een aanrader！ 。。。more

Garret Giblin ，

lol at Boris Yeltsin sleeping through his visit to Dublin in 1994

Claudette Germain ，

A dramatic story about Russia history told in a concise way。 A good summary of what shaped Russia’s past and continue to affect them to the present。

spoko ，

For a quick， brief overview of Russian history， this book serves quite well。 It’s very focused on the “high” history—the history of laws， rulers， and the powerful， rather than that of the mass of people。 I suppose that’s inevitable， given the promise to keep it short。 But it is probably the greatest shortcoming of an otherwise very good book。

Mark ，

Of all the books about Russia， this is one of them。

Travis Sundwall ，

I found the book to be well paced。 The selection of topics and depth of coverage is spot on for a book billed as a short history。I did find that the historical narrative was a bit tendentious for my taste。Overall， I would recommend the work to anyone looking for a brief overview of Russian history， without too many details。

Yousif Al-Saif ，

An excellent introduction to Russia and Russian history with an extensive and curated list of additional sources to delve into for the reader。 The book is interesting and at times amusing in its description of the Russian identity crisis: Is Russia European， Asian， or neither？ These fundamental and historical issues are important to understand in light of recent events。

Courtenay Sands ，

This was something I was forced to read for my Russian History course。 I found that it was an interesting and highly informative book that expanded my view of the world。 Thus， it succeeded in fulfilling its purpose。 I didn't necessarily enjoy reading this， but it was well-written and easy to understand。 Galeotti is a talented writer and should be applauded for his book。 I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about Russian History， as it is accessible yet releva This was something I was forced to read for my Russian History course。 I found that it was an interesting and highly informative book that expanded my view of the world。 Thus， it succeeded in fulfilling its purpose。 I didn't necessarily enjoy reading this， but it was well-written and easy to understand。 Galeotti is a talented writer and should be applauded for his book。 I would 10/10 recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about Russian History， as it is accessible yet relevant。 。。。more

Frankie Gonzales ，

A very quick read。 I was looking for something that would give me an overview without being overly daunting and this was perfect。 Sort of like a walk through of the timeline of Russian history， with contextual commentary on the big events， people and places。 This is not the book to read to become an expert but the author gives tons and tons of references of related books for each corresponding era of rRussian history for further reading。 Certainly recommend for anyone looking to have a little bi A very quick read。 I was looking for something that would give me an overview without being overly daunting and this was perfect。 Sort of like a walk through of the timeline of Russian history， with contextual commentary on the big events， people and places。 This is not the book to read to become an expert but the author gives tons and tons of references of related books for each corresponding era of rRussian history for further reading。 Certainly recommend for anyone looking to have a little bit better idea of Russian history and maybe a little bit more context to how they got to modern times。 Won't make you an expert but it helps！ 。。。more

Tam ，

A very quick but engaging narrative history of Russia

Lynn ，

A Short History of Russia。 A very short history of Russia indeed。 It in basically focuses on its Czars and Premiers。 Being Russian means harsh violent monarchs who used the utmost cruelty and punishment to rule。 Putin firs right in。

Ángela ，

This is perfect for a beginner in russian history

Elliott Branch ，

When Russia invaded the Ukraine， I knew that I was lacking the historical perspective that would help me understand the origins of this tragedy。 What I need of these two nations and their relationship， I learned when I studied the history of Christianity。 I went looking for a resource that would give a secular perspective and over a broader period than my Church studies covered。 Mark Galeotti's slim volume is accessible and lays out key events in Russian history。 He uses the history to support h When Russia invaded the Ukraine， I knew that I was lacking the historical perspective that would help me understand the origins of this tragedy。 What I need of these two nations and their relationship， I learned when I studied the history of Christianity。 I went looking for a resource that would give a secular perspective and over a broader period than my Church studies covered。 Mark Galeotti's slim volume is accessible and lays out key events in Russian history。 He uses the history to support his thesis that Russia often reinvents its past， so it can enter into dialog about its future。 His argument is well-structured， and he guides the reader to other sources that cover the points he makes in greater depth。 A good gateway to arguably， the dominant state in Eurasia。 。。。more

Phil ，

Solid and short overview of Russia’s past 1000 years or so。 Good read for anyone， like me， who knows not much of that country’s epic story。

Dorothy Nesbit ，

Great and readable explains a lot about why Russia is the way it is。

Scott ，

Is it 3 or 4 stars？ It is short and complete， so by the title it is a 4。 On the other hand is it rather superficial and poorly edited。

Guy Chadwick ，

Was a very good overview of Russian history and how that ties in with the history of what is now Ukraine。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Short History of Russia

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Short History of Russia&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Short History of Russia&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0