The Making of Modern Russia

by Lionel Kochan

The third revised edition begins with the arrival of the Slavs in the 6th century and ends with Gorbachev, the demise of communism and an outline of the Yeltsin years. Greater attention has been paid to developments in Russian provinces and also to the history of arts and cultural life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, European History

624 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 1963

Reviews

[Bria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long story short: "The newly created factory inspectorate published just one report; its findings were so disquieting that they were regarded as subversive by the government and future reports forbidden." for 1300 years.

[Jared Perovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boyars are independent landowners (page 18)
Ivan the Terrible (41)
Boyars as a new class (46, 49)
Interests private/state (44)
Local autarchy (48)
The delay of serfdom (49)
Class roots of service nobility (50)
History of part one (50-51) and part two (53)
Ivan the Terrible's secret police Oprichnina (54-55)
Tuberville (56)
Marauding peasants (64)
Delayed arrival of serfdom (74, 49)
Stenka Razin and peasant rebellion (76)
"Long-cherished popular associations" (88-89)
Borodino the Decembrist (144)
Siege state as normal (148)
Rural populism (183)
Iskra newspaper (207)
Revolution of 1905 (219)
Blok poem (225)
Krupskaya and the low ebb after 1905 revolution (227)
Internal colonization (233)
Early movement (235)
1917 revolution (244)
Lenin's state-capitalism (259)
World example, front cover (264-5, 280)
Needs (268)
Kronstadt rebellion (270)
NEP (New Economic Program) (271)
The party grows with its tasks (276)
Socialism in one country (281)
Kulaks and prices (inevitability claim) (284)
Stalin admits the state cannot achieve even simple reproduction (284)
Primitive accumulation analogized to enclosure of commons in Britain (285)
Ukraine and Kazakh (289-90)
Political parallel to Ivan the Terrible (296)
Russia's Western Border (303)
Pivot to France (306)
Backing the new German nationalism (303)

[Garrett Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albeit, disregarding the age of this text, a interesting read of Russian history, the sections prior to WWII are interesting.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this got stronger in the second half. It was hard for me to stick with it at first. One criticism I have is that the Romanovs almost vanish from the story. He mentions their being killed but they are otherwise absent presences. I wonder whether he simply likes post-revolutionary Russia better but I did find it stronger. It was re-written after 1991 but is still dated. Worth reading.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tome is pretty heavy going - and does expect a certain knowledge of political science - but as a comprehensive summary of hundreds of years of Russian and Soviet history, I'm sure it can't be beaten. Even allows for the odd moment of humour (though not many during the Stalin years...) However, the Third Edition finishes just as the CIS comes into existence, so a more updated version may be needed or is perhaps already out there?

[Katy M · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of interesting info, but kind of dry and boring.