Breve storia della Russia: Dalle origini a Putin

Cambridge Concise Histories

by Paul Bushkovitch, Luigi Giacone (Translator)

Breve storia della Russia ricostruisce non solo la storia politica ma anche gli sviluppi nel campo della letteratura, dell'arte e della scienza della Russia; ritrae così protagonisti di grandezza assoluta - Tolstoj, Cechov e Mendeleev, per esempio - nei loro contesti storici e istituzionali. Benché la Rivoluzione del 1917, il successivo sistema sovietico e la guerra fredda siano stati momenti cruciali della storia russa e mondiale, merito specifico dell'autore è di presentare anche le epoche precedenti in tutta la loro complessità e ricchezza storica e culturale.

Genres: History, Russia, Nonfiction, Russian History, School, Audiobook, European History

742 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Despina Frantzi♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having studied this book for my university exams,I am able to say a few things.
I really liked the history of Russia from this book. It is kinda easy to read,except from one thing: it has a lot of flashbacks and it confuses you after some pages. There's no chronological order in the events. It goes back and forth all the time.

[Clarice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still on a quest to satisfy my craving for some early Russian history, I began reading "A Concise History of Russia" by Paul Bushkovitch. My expectations were quite high since this was published by Cambridge University Press.

The good:
It is not horribly dry
The author does attempt to provide some early history

The bad:
A little beyond concise - refers to people in relationship to other important historical figures which haven't even been discussed.

Example: "Princess Olga, the widow of Prince Igor, became a Christian about the this time, perhaps after a journey to Constantinople."

Who was Prince Igor? He had not been previously mentioned. I had to Google him to find out.

During my research to fill in the frequent gaps in Bushkovitch's text, I discovered The Story of Russia by Robert Van Bergen - a free download from Amazon for my Kindle and also free at Project Gutenberg. This book, published in 1905, is, surprisingly, very readable and provides many more details of early Russia than "A Concise History of Russia".

I have put "A Concise History of Russia" aside for now and may come back to it for the post 1905 history.

[Ana Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro me gustó en general, lo disfruté, es quizá algo seco o hasta rígido, no sé, si bien su visión adusta, objetiva de los hechos que narra es algo que a final de cuentas se agradece. Es decir, el autor procura narrar los hechos sin dejarse tentar por ninguna de las partes, es un relato mesurado, conciso, y aun así completo de un periodo de tiempo enorme, desde los orígenes de la Rus de Kíev hasta los primeros años tras la caída de la U.R.S.S., intentando meter todo lo posible en él, la cultura rusa incluida.

Para cualquiera interesado en estudiar la historia rusa un libro como este resulta incluso necesario, y eso lo digo sobre todo por mi experiencia al leerme los grandes tomos de la Historia de Rusia de la Universidad de Cambridge algunos años atrás, y que son, en realidad, una docta compilación de artículos varios, sobre diversos temas y aspectos de la historia, escritos por distintos autores, y que sólo tienen el hilo común de un periodo de tiempo determinado. Es decir, dado que no es una historia narrativa, continua, al leerlos van quedando muchos huecos, temas que los autores no mencionan y quizás asumen que el lector conoce o acaso algún otro autor en otro capitulo explicará, pero que quedan en realidad en el aire.

Este libro llena esos huecos, te cuenta lo que pasó, lo que los otros asumieron que sabías y, si bien es necesariamente escueto, al menos ya no te quedas con la duda o adivinando qué paso entre este acontecimiento mayor y este otro.

Un único verdadero problema que encontré, y que quizá tiene que ver sólo con su traducción al español, es la enorme cantidad de erratas, sobre todo en lo referente a las fechas, que dudo mucho que alguien se haya tomado la molestia de revisar antes de mandarlo a imprenta, pues algunas no tienen ningún sentido.

Es una historia concisa, pues, como lo indica su título original en inglés, y una muy buena introducción para el curioso, el deseoso de adentrarse en la historia rusa, más allá de los clichés y la sobresimplificación comunista tan típica todavía en Occidente.

[Mark McFerren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Russia’s history is long and complicated enough to render it almost indecipherable to an outsider. A pivotal event might be 300 years removed from its impetus, convoluting the analysis of both. The nation itself was restructured multiple times throughout history, giving Russia its own historical and cultural lexicon. It’s difficult for westerners to comprehend the lasting influence a 300-year monarchy can leave on a people. America had the philosophical benefit of the Enlightenment during its framing. Russia, on the other hand, was steeped in an Eastern Orthodoxy from the start, with its leaders hell-bent on maintaining an outdated form of government. 

The Russian empire was resigned to roll the dice each time a new leader inherited the throne. More often than not, the personal fortitude of the king was no match for the responsibility of single-handedly running the entire country. It’s unthinkable to us that a government leader could change any law or have any dissenters brutally executed on command without question, but this was the reality in Russia until the 1917 revolution. A whole 38% of the population was privately owned by Russian nobility until the serf emancipation of 1861. Incremental movements in the direction of democratic governance were squashed by Nicholas II, making revolution a virtual certainty. 

Russia’s history is like Game of Thrones in real life. It has mentally unstable kings, confusing lore, power struggles, incest, violence and probably a disappointing ending. Luckily, Bushkovich does a brilliant job with this quick-and-dirty overview. Concise, thorough, and precisely written. This was exactly the introduction I needed.

Can’t wait to learn more!

[Jeremiah Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may think the title is ironic once you pick this book up, but it successfully covers over a thousand years of reigns, revolutions, and Russian culture in a concise fashion. From the infamous czars like Ivan the Terrible and Catherine the Great, to renown cultural icons like Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, to communist leaders like Lenin and Stalin, Bushkovitch presents the reader with a broad, yet detailed understanding of the nation now known as Russia. Whether you want to have a more informed understanding of current events or long to learn the context behind Russia's great literary works, this history book is worth the time and effort.

[Sophie Fiskars · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think the book would be perfect firewood😊.

[Simone Invernizzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un paese come la Russia, così complesso e tormentato, spesso incomprensibile per noi occidentali, ha bisogno di una straordinaria opera come questa per essere sviscerato e decifrato.

Dalla Rus’ di Kiev fino a ai primi anni 2000, passando per tutti gli zar e la zarine che hanno trasformato un piccolo regno in un vastissimo impero: Ivan “Il Terribile”, Pietro il Grande, Elisabetta, Caterina la Grande, e Alessandro II, fino all’ultimo zar della dinastia Romanov Nicola II, travolto dalla Prima Guerra Mondiale e dalla Rivoluzione interna; e a seguire la terribile guerra civile, la creazione dell’Unione Sovietica sotto la dittatura stalinista, la tragedia della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, la Guerra Fredda negli anni di Khruščёv e Brežnev, e la fine dell’utopia comunista con il crollo del muro di Berlino sotto Michail Gorbačëv. Paul Bushkovitch ci narra con precisione e obiettività assoluta la lunga storia di quella che oggi è la Federazione Russa.

A tutti gli appassionati e studiosi di storia, questo è un libro che non può mancare nella vostra libreria.

[Andres Felipe Contreras Buitrago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este es uno de los libros más completos sobre la historia de Rusia, esto hace que cada aspectos de este país sea abordado de una gran manera, porqué el autor no solo se centra en la historia política de Rusia, sino que hay varios capítulos dedicados a la cultura, la sociedad y la economía del país haciendo que la lectura se sienta mucho más completa, en comparación con otros libros de este estilo.

Hay un buen uso de imagen, y aunque los capítulos se pueden sentir largos, dentro de ellos tiene sus propias subdivisiones, la lectura por otra parte es amena, no se siente tan pesada pese a que se abordan muchos temas.

El libro lo recomiendo una vez ya se hayan leído otros trabajos más cortos, con lo cual este puede ser un buen cierre para afianzar todo el conocimiento en torno a este país.

[Plato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well told account of the major events of Russia. Explains perfectly how Vladimir the Great made Kiev Rus a orthodox christian people, the invasion of the mongols, how Peter the Great expanded the borders and made Russia into a modern European country, the succession of Catherine the Great and how she helped the importation of European values, the Russian Golden and silver age, the Russian revolution, rise of marxist-leninist ideology and the Bolsheviks, the major events of WW2, the cold war, and the end of the USSR. Someone who reads this will gain a strong basis in Russian culture and history.

[Ingrid Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slaps differently at the moment.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much information but very good. It took me a while to read this and I wish I had time to go back and read it a second time in order to note some things that I may have missed the first time. I definitely recommend A Concise History of Russia for those interested in Russia's story from the beginning. Of course, by the length of the book, many things had to be briefly mentioned. However, the author does give a good list of "Further Reading" which would fill in the details of many parts of Russian history.

[Tso William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regrettably, I read this book after my trip to Russia. It, however, does help me to put what I learned in churches and museums into perspective. Bushkovitch gave a balanced historical account with equal attentions on the political, social and cultural aspects but he seems to run out of steam in the latter half of the book as his writing style becomes dry and unimaginative. Irritatingly, there are numerous editorial mistakes (e.g. Ottoman/Turkey, St. Petersburg/Petersburg, Yudenich/Iudenich, A Sportsman's Sketches/A Hunter's Sketches - they are all used interchangeably).

[Helen Jacoby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did give a good overview of Russian history from the country's beginnings to almost the present, but I found the sheer volume of names and events to be overwhelming and impossible to fully understand. This may be inevitable when trying to cram the entire history of such an important nation into a reasonably sized book, but it did make sections more of a chore to read than I would have liked. Nevertheless, I did learn quite a bit.

[Rolando · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to learn more about Russian history after coming across some light podcast episodes about it’s history and folk tales surrounding nobility. Little did I know I was to fall in love with this ancient and culturally rich country.

Russia has been kept hidden from the western world, I’m not sure if due to stain communism still has today, or due to the fear of having such an empire raise again to shadow the current hegemonic powers of the world. But it sure is worth to learn about it’s history and legacy for anyone who wants to understand the world of the XXI century.

Not really knowing about this country it was a bit hard to sift through the number of books Amazon has to offer, looking for a view not politically tainted and straightforward enough not to be bored halfway through it. I chose this one because of the title and the very good reviews it had.

I’m not disappointed at all by it, honestly, because it lived up to expectations. It is concise, broad in its coverage, focused on the average reader, and lightly paced to keep engagement. This obviously means it doesn’t go into many details on each period, but leaves the reader interested enough to look further on certain events or moments of history that caught attention. I highly recommend it.

[Ailed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary
This succinct history book covers Russian history from its ancient beginnings to the end of the Cold War.

Why I read it
I needed to read a primer on Russian history so I would understand better the Russian books I've been reading this month.

Why you should read it
If you are a beginner to Russian history,
If you are interested in having some historical context for reading Russian fiction.

Thoughts
It took me a bit longer than I had anticipated to finish reading this book because there were some days I didn't have time to read. But it's a very accessible and brief account of the whole of Russian history. I already had some knowledge since in high school I had a contemporary Russian history course (the dubious perks of growing up in a communist country). I remember having to learn the consequences of Gorbachev's Perestroika from top to bottom so my country wouldn't make the same mistakes in the future (what a joke!). But I had almost no knowledge of medieval Rus' and the Mongol invasions which was very entertaining to read, especially after reading Arden's Winternight trilogy.

[Denis Manis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este livro oferece uma visão abrangente da história da Rússia, fornecendo aos leitores uma avaliação geral bastante útil. O autor apresenta a complexa história da Rússia de forma equilibrada, adotando uma abordagem neutra.

Embora o livro seja curto e objetivo, pode deixar uma expectativa por mais detalhes em alguns tópicos, mas é bem-sucedido em transmitir informações básicas. O tratamento resumido de questões importantes, como as guerras do século XIX e a Guerra Fria, pode levar os leitores a buscar fontes mais profundas.

O estilo de escrita, embora seco e repetitivo, utiliza uma linguagem fluida e clara, tornando-o acessível a um amplo público. A obra também contribui de maneira significativa com sua análise da relação entre a literatura e a arte russa e a revolução.

Em geral, é um trabalho informativo que pode ser útil para todos que se interessam pela história da Rússia. No entanto, para aqueles que buscam um conhecimento mais aprofundado, é recomendável explorar fontes mais abrangentes.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used substantial parts of this book as background on Russia while reading Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment in 2017. Very readable, even enjoyable. Used library copy and returned it without spending as much time as would like with the book. The author appears to have solid credentials. Am currently listening to the Great Books series on Russian history. It is very possible this is a book I will borrow again or even obtain for myself (even though my bookshelves don't need another book) to compare, contrast, and deepen that series.

November, 2017.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very information-dense, which is both good and bad. Some chapters flow well; others are difficult to trudge through because the dense information recycles itself. The reader is forced to cover the same ground again after plodding through. Mostly, I think the problem is how the book is organized. I recommend NOT making this your intro to Russian history. But it's a valuable resource. After you've read other Russian history, read this, a chapter or two at a time, pick and choose. Orlando Figes is much more readable for a first intro to Russian history.

[James Ruley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Providing a history of any country is a daunting task, and even more difficult with a country with a history as diverse and polarizing as Russia. In this work, however, Bushkovitch proves that he is equal to the task, walking the reader through Russian history from its origins to the fall of the Soviet Union. Much is necessarily left out in this truncated work, but it was an excellent introduction to Russian history.

4/5

[Makayla MacGregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this over the course of several months — from September of 2021 until March of 2022 for my Russian Civilization classes. To be honest, it was a bit dense and dry, but as far as a complete history of Russia goes, Bushkovitch did an incredible job organizing everything and writing it in an accessible manner. I wouldn't ever choose to read this again but I do appreciate the analyses and research that went into this text.

[James Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this 4 stars due to the scope of the project. I will say that my definition of "concise" and the author's idea are not the same. It was interesting, for the most part, although as with many books on history, trying to keep the facts and data interesting can be a real challenge. This book does not always succeed. It did provide a lot of information, however, and I learned a lot, which is always a good thing.

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slightly too-concise history, whizzing through the highlights and glossing over a whole lot of interesting events -- but good revision, especially if taking notes on the side. The writer tends to break events up into multiple sections within the span of a few pages. The extensive Further Reading section will keep me occupied for some time.

[Samsko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Espectacular manual para tener una mirada completa, muy documentada, desde el rigor y metodología que caracterizan la ciencia histórica, sobre la Historia de Rusia hasta la caída del régimen soviético.

100% recomendado

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a native I wanted to know more about the history of my nationality and I definitely learned a lot but this book is very dense with information and is probably best for someone who has had some prior knowledge. I plan to re read this at some point as I don't remember a lot of the details.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well if that's concise, I don't want to know what's in depth. Well I do. Bushkovitch does cover a large amount of material and doesn't have time to dwell on matters all that long. Overall helpful for getting a handle on the sweep of Russian histort.

[Jim Dear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history. Very lively and well-written.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a well written overview but that is all that it is

[Mad Hapa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite line in this book was, "The Soviet Union is a country with an unpredictable past."

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the chapters are split up. I think the language in this is great for a collegiate level history student. Covers a lot easily.

[Kei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning the basic history of Russia through reading this.