Despite Russia's long history of attempts at reform and revolution, some things have changed very little. This indispensable volume relates Russian tradition and circumstances to the events of history and encourages readers to seek their own explanation of the country's paradox. The third edition includes new material to bring the story up to mid-1986, updated tables, and a revised title-annotated bibliography.
Dr. John Norton Westwood, b.1931, is an honorary member of the Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Birmingham, England. He has been an honorary research fellow at Birmingham since 1976.
He has written extensively on Russian and Eurasian issues. He also writes on steam trains and international railway history.
I can only speak for the later half of this book as I am studying 20th century Russia but thought that its insight into religion and laws in Russia was extremely helpful.