Overview

A Library Journal 2020 Title to Watch ""Terrific - and an amazing achievement to cover so much ground in such a short and wonderfully readable book."" -Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of The Silk Roads Russia's epic story told in an accessible, lively and short form, using the country's fascinating history to help us understand its actions today and what the future might hold A country with no natural borders, no single ethnic group, no true central identity, Russia has mythologized its past to unite its people, to justify its military decisions, and to signal strength to outsiders. Mark Galeotti takes us behind the myths to the heart of the Russian story, covering key moments such as: the formation of a nation through its early legends, including Ivan the Terrible and Catherine the Great the rise and fall of the Romanovs, the Russian Revolution, the Cold War, Chernobyl and the Soviet Union the arrival of an obscure politician named Vladimir Putin and his ambitions for Russia A Short History of Russia explores the history of this fascinating, extraordinary, desperate and exasperating country through two intertwined issues: the way successive influences from beyond its borders have shaped Russia, and the way Russians came to terms with this influence, writing and rewriting their past to understand their present and try to shape their future. In turn, this self-invented history has come to affect not just their constant nation-building project but also their relations with the world.

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9781335475213

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Reviews

A slim, accessible account of the megacountry. -Kirkus Reviews An accessible and illuminating summary of how modern Russia came to be. -Publishers Weekly A fantastic read... insightful and leaves the reader wanting more in the best of ways. -Diplomatic Courier Galeotti sketches a bleak, but convincing picture of the man in the Kremlin and the political system that he dominates. -The Times Mark Galeotti, in We Need to Talk About Putin, has distilled a great deal of research and thought into a slim and engaging volume that reads like a primer for anyone poised to enter a negotiation with the Russian president. -The Guardian Easily the shrewdest and most insightful analysis yet of Putin's policymaking. -Foreign Affairs Punchy and highly readable. -TLS Dynamic, authoritative and often witty. -The Scotsman

Author Information

Mark Galeotti, honorary professor at UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, is one of the foremost Russia watchers today. Based in London, he also runs his own consultancy and is affiliated with thinktanks in the USA, UK and Europe. A prolific author on Russia and security affairs, he has been a professor at New York University and the Moscow Institute of International Relations and an adviser to the British Foreign Office.

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