A History of Russia, Volume 2: Since 1855

by Walter G. Moss

This two-volume text focuses on three main topics: the struggle for and against political authority,the expansion and contraction of Russia and its dealings with non-Russian nationalities and foreign powers,and the life and culture of the Russian people. This approach contributes to the book's stress on the continuities in Russian history from its beginnings to the mid 1990's. The text provides a balanced and comprehensive coverage of political,economic,social,cultural,and intellectual history.

Genres: History, Russia, Nonfiction, Russian History

576 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

Reviews

[David]

I was technically supposed to read this in college, but given it was one of nine other books assigned for the class, I admit I had to skim the material to keep up with the breakneck pacing. I’ve finally been able to return and give the book the attention it deserves.

It’s an excellent foundation upon which to build. It has hundreds of suggested sources, and I’ve liberally added to my to-read list from those suggested sources and the bibliography. It is clear that Moss is an expert on the topic from the way he is able to synthesize an immense amount of source material into manageable eras over a century of Russian history. The format of the book covers a variety of topics of each era, including political developments, economic developments, religious, pop culture, literature, art and architecture, and other major themes. This formula repeats for each subsequent era that Moss covers. Additionally, Moss offers the invaluable benefit of offering a historiographical analysis of the sources he synthesizes based on how information on the USSR changed over time, as well as perceptions of the Soviet State changed.

A masterpiece of a textbook, and a treasure trove of source material for building a Russian history and culture library.