Unfortunately we do not have a summary for this item at the moment

Hosking...offers a comprehensive survey from the beginnings of Kievan Rus through Russia's recent independence, emphasizing the impact of relations between Russians and non-Russians...This book's strength lies in its revealing Russia's continuities. The result compares favorably with some of the best Russian histories of recent decades while also consolidating new scholarship. Highly recommended. -- Zachary Irwin Library Journal 20010401 Russia's history, more than that of almost any other country, lends itself to passion and polemic...[Hosking] nevertheless attempts...a dispassionate account. Writing with enviable lucidity, he sets out to dispel the current negativeness and general ambivalence that characterizes both Western and native assessments of Russia's role in the world...His general argument is compelling. -- Ronald Grigor Suny New Leader 20010301 For the thousand years of its recorded existence, Russia's history has been as dramatic, tragic, and inspiring as that of any nation, exerting a perennial attraction that cries for the one-volume introduction Hosking is well equipped to provide. His book is especially welcome because he links the Communist era, now that it is over, to the enduring themes of the Russian experience...This is a high-quality overview. -- Gilbert Taylor Booklist 20010415 There...seems to be a general failure to understand Russians on their own terms--as people who, on one hand are no different than the foreigners trying to analyze them and, on the other hand, think and act in ways that baffle outsiders. In other words, Russians behave just like us, except when they don't. Those seeking answers to these mysteries will welcome Geoffrey Hosking's latest work, Russia and the Russians, a massive survey that begins with the Keivan Rus in the ninth century and ends with Vladimir Putin's arrival in the Kremlin in 2000. Mr. Hosking has made an important contribution to those seeking to better understand a country and its people. -- Ron Laurenzo Washington Times 20010522 [A] comprehensive and intelligent survey of Russian history for the general reader...[that follows] the twists and turns of Slavic history from the principalities of Kievan Rus in the late ninth century to the presidency of Boris Yeltsin...[A] most excellent historical survey. The Economist 20010526 Russia and the Russians...is a comprehensive and up-to-date textbook of Russian history...[Hosking] covers every aspect of Russia from the terrain itself, to the tsars, to Russian nationalism, to the Cold War, to Perestroika, to the Russian Federation--and he is thorough. Russia and the Russians is a book for the serious student of history. -- Freda Fuller Coursey Times Record News 20010909 Hosking's narrative is so compellingly and gracefully written and so meticulously researched that the reader will find an abundance of treasure. While more valuable to the general reader than the specialist, the latter will still derive insight from the book. This quality is never better illustrated than in the introduction, where Hosking sets forth the four salient characteristics that have imparted to Russia a paradoxical combination of colossal strength and almost crippling weakness. His treatment of the Nikonian reforms, social transformation and terror during Stalin's collectivization, and Gorbachev's perestroika are similarly stimulating...[Hosking's] insight and expertise provide a learning experience for all levels of reader. -- G. E. Snow Choice 20011201 For the general reader, this book is the King James version of Russian history. -- Robert Legvold Foreign Affairs 20010501

Geoffrey Hosking is retired Professor of Russian History at the University College London.

Preface Introduction: Geopolitics, Ecology, and National Character I. Pre-Imperial Rus and the Beginnings of Empire 1. Kievan Rus, the Mongols, and the Rise of Muscovy 2. Ivan IV and the Expansion of Muscovy II. The Troubled Building of Empire 3. The Turbulent Seventeenth Century 4. Peter the Great and Europeanization III. Russia as European Empire 5. State and Society in the Eighteenth Century 6. The Reigns of Paul, Alexander I, and Nicholas I IV. Imperial Crisis 7. Alexander II's Uncertain Reforms 9. The Rise of Nationalism V. Revolution and Utopia 9. Social Change and Revolution 10. War and Revolution 11. Social Transformation and Terror 12. Soviet Society Takes Shape VI. The Decline and Fall of Utopia 13. Recovery and Cold War 14. Soviet Society under Developed Socialism 15. From Perestroika to Russian Federation Chronology Notes Index