Kamensky petrov and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. It has comparatively few photographs and chronicles the history of russiasoviet union through the 20th century. World art movement early 20th century russia abebooks. Michael khodarkovskys innovative exploration of russias 20th. He was an absolute nationalist, an autocrat, and antisemitic. This last book is the smallest and thinnest of the three i purchased. The third volume of the cambridge history of russia provides an authoritative political, intellectual, social and cultural history of the trials and triumphs of russia and the soviet union during the twentieth century. This depends on whether you want to learn about the russian soul of two hundred years ago gogol, pushkin, etc, the communiststalinist period of 20th century, or the recent postperestroika wild west of putin years. The history of russia, as the natural successor to the soviet union, is of crucial importance to understanding why communism ultimately lost out to western democracy and the free market system.
Women in 19th century russia juliette chevalier medium. A journey in 100 histories, all the more impressive. After having purchased and read the american century should be on every americans bookshelf. The peasantry was the broad mass of the people and they stood at around. This topic takes us on a journey from the end of imperialism through two world wars and the cold war and brings us to our modern world. A journey in 100 histories seems to prove rudyard kiplings theory that if history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be. David marples presents a balanced overview of 20th century russian history and shows that although contemporary russia has retained many of the practices and memories of the.
Although the censorship was lifted and writers could now freely express their thoughts, the political and economic chaos of the 1990s affected the book. The political system was drastically and violently transformed, there was an explosion of avantgarde art, and then stalin led the country through the violent period of industrialization. Surviving europes horrendous 20th century the new york. The best books on 20th century russia 1 khrushchev by william taubman. In ancient times, greek and iranian settlements appeared in the southernmost portions of what is now ukraine. Michael khodarkovsky this innovative exploration of russias 20th century, through 100 carefully selected vignettes that span the century, offers a fascinating prism through.
Former sunday times young writer of the year discusses books that tell the story of russia in the last century from soviet science fiction set in capitalist wastelands to khrushchev as raconteur. Assessing the legacy of the ussr and the changes that have been wrought over the last decade, david marples book will change the way. For myself, it is sufficient to prophesy, even with little tangible evidence, that sometime in this century, sooner rather than later, the united states and russia will identify a common destiny. Khodarkovsky has taken a novel approach to charting the century by crafting one hundred vignettes, one for each year of the century. The nineteenth century in russia was one of extraordinary, revolutionary change. You cannot properly understand current world events without understanding the history of the 20th century. A summary of a century of unrest in history sparknotes s the russian revolution 19171918. Were it not for the bolshevik triumph in 1917, many of the 20th centurys most familiar controversies the cold war and its proxy conflicts, the. I, for one, cannot wait to assign this new fascinating book to my. Indoeuropean, uralaltaic, and diverse other peoples have occupied what is now the territory of russia since the 2nd millennium bce, but little is known about their ethnic identity, institutions, and activities.
David r marples why did the soviet union disappear so quickly. Soon, however, mazowers narrative opens out onto an expansive, branching cast of characters that includes family members as well as numerous icons of 20thcentury jewish history from emma. The book concludes with a plausible extrapolation of russias trajectory into the 20th century, leaving the reader with a satisfying understanding on how todays russia is the natural outgrowth of its 20th century history. A history of 20thcentury russia, warts and all the new. The rich array of themes and styles will be of tremendous interest to students and readers who want to learn about russia through the engaging genre of the short story. Michael khodarkovsky, am81, phd87 author from the author. The best books on 20th century russia recommended by francis spufford. Many believe that it was during that time that russia gained enough force and resources to be able to defeat the nazis in the ww2. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Russias 20th century is perfectly suited for introductory college courses or general reader. Some people use these lists as reference and recommendation. Autocracy, reform, and social change, 18141914 new russian history 1 by polunov, a.
On the last day of the 20th century, russian president boris yeltsin announced his resignation six months before the expiration of his second term. Buy a history of twentiethcentury russia by r service isbn. Reading about russias 20th century is like finding another vision of how the world might have been. Russia and the united states in the 21st century the. The russian revolutions of 1917 may be the most important and worldaltering event of the twentieth century, but restrictions on documents and official communist histories have often affected the efforts of historians. An antistalinist author who died in obscurity in 1951 may be the greatest russian writer of the last century, his english translator robert. He is author of twelve books on contemporary russia, ukraine and belarus, including lenins revolution. The following selection of quotes provides a sketch of the russia inherited by yeltsins successor, vladimir putin. With the fall of the soviet era, a new generation of russian authors finally began to make their voices heard. A century later, this book reflects on the reasons for this revolution. For a little over half the century, the labor system of serfdom ruled the russian empire, affecting society in ways.
As russia entered the twentieth century she had a rapidly growing urban proletariat. The book is also valuable for its supremely clear explanation of the intricate relationship between the actions of a regime that elevates acquiring of absolute power by any means above any other value, and the extremely successful propaganda methods and machinery used to. Rummel from 1900 until he was deposed in 1917, russia was ruled by the last of the russian czars, nicholas ii. If i wanted to learn about russia culture, national. The world of art movement in early 20thcentury russia by vsevolod. In a displaced personthe third book in a trilogy that began with the modern classic the life and extraordinary adventures of private ivan chonkin and continued with pretender to the throneauthor vladimir voinovich turns his satirical eye to the difficult. Putting them in the list greatest russian novels of all time and omitting the really great books looks at least irresponsible. Nationalism became a major political issue in the world in the 20th century, acknowledged in international law along with the right of nations to selfdetermination, official decolonization in the midcentury, and related regional conflicts. Even seasoned historians will find russias 20th century a compelling. In the 20th century, suffering as a mechanism of evil was explored by authors such as solzhenitsyn in the gulag archipelago. The result is a comprehensive picture of russias ravaged 20th century that allows educators to teach the subject by exploring and expanding the themes of individual vignettes in a way that is likely to trigger further interest in a subject. The century had the first globalscale total wars between world powers across continents and oceans in world war i and world war ii. Michael khodarkovskys innovative exploration of russias 20th century, through 100 carefully selected vignettes that span the century, offers a fascinating prism through which to view russian history. When alexander i came to the throne in march 1801, russia was in a state of hostility with most of europe, though its armies were not actually fighting.
The best books on 20th century russia five books expert. In which john green teaches you how russia evolved from a loose amalgamation of medieval principalities known as the. Russia has undergone a series of colossal social, political and economic transformations over the last hundred years. The list contains the authors that would hardly qualify to be called wellknown. Taken as a whole, the stories capture every major aspect of russian life, history and culture in the twentieth century. A century of upheaval illustrated edition by heather maisner isbn. This entire decline is reflected in russia being colored red on the map that correlates to roughly 6080% of the jewish population being killed or leaving russia during the 20th century. The book is also valuable for its supremely clear explanation of the intricate relationship between the actions of a regime. If one could revisit russia as it was in the year 1900, the most profitable way to use a few days might be to concentrate on moscow and st. A leading russian literary critic of the 20th century viktor shklovsky, in his book, zoo, or letters not about love, wrote, russian literature has a bad tradition. Krushchev, signed agreement that stated that satellite states of the soviet union would have equal power with russia and that other socialist countries could interpret marxism differently, relations between the countries would deteriorate again after the. A journey in 100 histories tells russias history in the 20th century in 100 short storieshistories, one for each year of the century. A group called the decemberists tried to revolt and fight for the people to have power over the country through a constitution, but czar nicholas i used. The first half of the 20th century was a turbulent time for russia.
Russia in the 20th century timeline timetoast timelines. Professor michael khodarkovskys russias 20th century. A journey in 100 histories bloomsbury academic, 2019, all the more impressive. These challenges make the triumph of professor michael khodarkovskys new book, russias 20th century. Marina dyachenko, telman karabogli, yuri kruman, victor serge. The result is a book of great originalitya truly panoramic expedition across the turbulent landscape that was russias 20th century. These challenges make the triumph of professor michael khodarkovskys new book. Former sunday times young writer of the year discusses books that tell the story of. Petersburg which would be renamed petrograd in 1914 and leningrad in 1924. Beginning in the 1970s, mass emigration of the jewish population began a decline that lasted through the end of the 20th century.
Russian literature is devoted to the description of unsuccessful love affairs. Censorship reforms began in russia in a single decade of tolerance 18551865 during the reign of tsar alexander ii, when transition was made from legislation on precensorship to the punitive system based on legal responsibility. Russia in the 20th century timeline created by nowhere man. Each chosen microhistory focuses on one particular event or individual that allows you to understand russia not in abstract terms but in real events in the lives of ordinary. A new twovolume history of russias turbulent 20th century is being hailed inside and outside the country as a landmark contribution to the swirling debate over russias past and national identity. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the russian revolution 19171918 and what it means. The historical mosaic of russias 20th century provides a unique examination of modern russian history one snapshot at a time, prompting us to reflect on a larger picture of russias past and its place in the world todaymore paperback, 264 pages published september 5th 2019 by bloomsbury academic. At the start of the 19th century, russia was still in an impoverished, feudal state. The end of the 20th century proved a difficult period for russian literature, with relatively few distinct voices. The 20th century world history arts and humanities.