Russia and the USSR in the 20th Century

by David MacKenzie, Michael W. Curran

This balanced text has been revised to reflect the dramatic changes that have occurred in the former Soviet Union and to give students the context in which they can understand the roots of those changes. Introduced by a discussion of Russian history just prior to the Revolution, the text looks at the development of the Soviet Union goes beyond the political to reveal the complexity of social, economic, diplomatic, and cultural forces that have shaped this country. Two new chapters bring students up to date on the collapse of the Soviet Union and the legacy of Soviet Communism. Highly praised Problems sections offer conflicting points of view among Soviet, post-Soviet, and Western historians, giving readers insight into the past and present debates in this changing nation.

Genres: History

544 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 1996

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book, and one of the best researched books that I have ever read. Although the title seems to limit this history to the 20th century, there are introductory chapters with the necessary background to provide context.

This is not a political book by any means, and it is not written with an attitude or an agenda. In many ways, it is like a textbook. The chapters lay out the relevant issues with questions to be explored, and they wrap up with a deeper look at those same questions, along with varying viewpoints on their answers. For example, did the Soviet Union collapse because of Gorbachev's well-intentioned reforms, because of outside forces like Reagan's rhetoric and military buildup, or because Marxism-Leninism was a flawed ideology, ruthlessly and cynically implemented, and doomed to fail?

So few of these events or issues were published in the press, or discussed widely, like the fact that Krushchev built up his popularity by criticizing Stalin, a very welcome tactic after Stalin's death. Some of these issues were referred to in the television series "The Americans" (with Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell), which I highly recommend.

It is somewhat heavy reading, but like most well-written histories, absolutely worth the time required. I do not read much when school is in session; my mind cannot easily shift from work mode to relaxed mode. It took me three months to read the first 2/3 of the book during the school semester. I finished the last 1/3 in four days.

Also, I read the 3rd edition, published in 1997, not long after the fall of the USSR. There is no mention of Vladimir Putin. I have ordered the 4th edition, which was published in 2001 and does mention Putin, but sadly there does not appear to be another update, so I'll need to find another source to learn about what has happened in the last 20 years that was not widely reported. Even so, I'm looking forward to some lighter reading while school is still out.