A Concise History of Russia

Accessible to students, tourists, and general readers alike, this book provides a broad overview of Russian history since the ninth century. Paul Bushkovitch emphasizes the enormous changes in the understanding of Russian history resulting from the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, new material has come to light on the history of the Soviet era, providing new conceptions of Russia's pre-revolutionary past. The book traces not only the political history of Russia, but also developments in its literature, art, and science. Bushkovitch describes well-known cultural figures, such as Chekhov, Tolstoy, and Mendeleev in their institutional and historical contexts. Though the 1917 revolution, the resulting Soviet system, and the Cold War were a crucial part of Russian and world history, Bushkovitch presents earlier developments as more than just a prelude to Bolshevik power.

Paul Bushkovitch is a professor of history at Yale University, where he has taught for the past 36 years. He is the author of Peter the Great: The Struggle for Power, 1671-1725 (Cambridge 2001); Religion and Society in Russia: The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (1991); and The Merchants of Moscow, 1580-1650 (Cambridge 1980). His articles have appeared in Slavic Review, Russian Review, Jahrbcher fr Geschichte Osteruopas, and Kritika. He is a member of the editorial board for the Cahier du Monde Russe.