Customer Reviews

A History of Modern Russia: From Nicholas II to Vladimir Putin, Revised Edition

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First of all, it is important to note that I am not an expert in either Russian or 20th century history. Though I have spent a great deal of time reading about Russia and the Soviet Union over the last couple years, I would still consider myself a novice. Thus, this review is obviously written from the perspective of someone relatively new to the field.

Service's History of Modern Russia covers the entire 20th century, though it is relatively sparse post-1994. His handling of the material seems fair; he strives to cover material from a variety of viewpoints, showing both the positive and negative aspects of his subject matter. He covers Lenin, Stalin, WWII, and Khrushchev - along with all their policies, political maneuvers, and so on - in depth (at least as much as can be expected for 555 pages on 100 years!), and covers the Tsarist period, WWI, Brezhnev, and the early 1980s in the USSR in sufficient detail to easily follow the plot. The mild disparity in the treatment of various events and figures is not a flaw in his work; rather, his writing is directed to the more significant developments, of which there seem to be relatively few in the period of Brezhnev and the early 1980s (pre-Gorbachev); his ~40 pages on Brezhnev supply plenty of detail into the USSR from Khrushchev to the early `80s. In fact, I have found it difficult in general to find material on Brezhnev. For example, there are many biographies of Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev, but Amazon.com does not appear to carry even one on Brezhnev!

As a newcomer to the field of Russian history, culture, and language, I found Service's work to be readable, informative, and straightforward in its presentation, even when the narrative bogs down in groups of names doing this or that. His even treatment of the Soviet Union allowed me to see aspects of the USSR, Russia, and communism which I had not previously understood in a new light. I would have appreciated a short glossary for Soviet political positions and USSR governmental positions which simply defined the duties and responsibilities of various jobs (and perhaps their relative political or governmental clout, if such a thing were possible). It is not difficult to get bogged down in the myriad offices mentioned in the book.

I highly recommend this book as an introduction to the Soviet Union's beginnings, rise to power, and eventual decline and implosion. It covers a wealth of material in a short, readable space and is easily navigable. References are extensive, so further study could easily be pursued with Service as an overview and handy starting point.

Russia is the ultimate story, a story of grandeur of false hopes and shattered dreams. Churchill gave Russia that interesting title of the enigma inside the mystery inside the riddle. However this book does better by truly telling us the grand story of Russia, without the weakness of similar books on the subject. Many important subjects are covered, from the traditional tale of revolution, Stalin, stagnation, collapse.

Here the reader is treated to nuanced stories, such as Krushchevs suppression of the church which left only 7500 Churches ion Russia, whereas 12000 Mosques were left standing. Also evident is the population upheavals of the 1920s and 1930s. Equally important is a very good rendition of the complications of the Civil war and the creation of War communism. All the characters are given a fair portrait from Derzinsky, to Sverlov, to the obvious, such as Zinoviev and Stalin.

The successive chapters on the `mystery years' of Brezhnev is enlightening, to view a nation in stagnation. Although not as insightful as Volkoganov's expose on soviet leadership this book brings to light many tales and is a fascinating, easy digestion, that brings the reader up to date, with Vladimir Putin.

Seth J. Frantzman

Overview of Russia during the 20th Century with stops at the Revolutions, Lenin, Stalin Gorbachev and Yeltsin. Provides a historical basis for event occurring today by allowing historians and political scientists to hypothesize about what is yet to come. Well written by one of the prominent Russian historians today.

This is primarily a comprehensive history of the entire Soviet Union and 1900-1917 Russian Empire, lest the emphasis on "Russia" in the title fool you.

As far as English-language works on Soviet history go (they're normally underinformed and lacking first-hand experience), this one is pretty good. On the political spectrum, Service is not a devout Anticommunist, although he does believe in the failure of Communism to efficiently allocate resources. He has a loose enthusiasm for the Russian people and nation, and this actually tints his vision towards being a little biased TOWARDS Russia, as unlikely as this might seem. Overall, what this means is that he's pretty objective, since his distaste for communism is balanced by his respect for the people, major and minor, behind it.

There's a lot of detail, and the book is very comprehensive.

However, if one has no knowledge of Russian history, it's better to sample the waters with Orlando Figes' "Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia" which covers a lot of ground in the history of Russia (largely pre-Soviet) in an original and exciting manner. That book is even more insightful into the reality of Russia's history than Service's book is. Furthermore, "Natasha's Dance" helps set the stage for a more detailed history of "Modern Russia," so that one can witness the "continuity and change" present in history.

With that said though, Service's history is the best English-language, 1-volume work on the history of the Soviet Union. It is also the best history of the past century of the Russian people and the Russian cultural entity.

I purchased this book to "fill in the gaps" since my college survey course over 35 years ago! I wanted to "catch up" as I was on my way for a 10 day visit in the hinterlands of Russia and would be not in the "tourist" mode but observer mode. This book was easier to read than many history books but did provide insight and accurate historical data. It was especially useful in that while I was in Russia, Putin was very much in the news in the US and Russia, though from very different perspectives! Reading this book, helped me understand better the Russian view which was very different from the US view!I highly recommend this book for background information on Russia.

This book is an excellent history book for the general reader. His prose is great and enjoyable. He manages to pack quite a bit of information in such a small space from such a long period. After reading this book you will have a very good understanding of what Russia and the former SSR's have been through and through this what may be in store for their future. This book deals almost exclusively with internal affairs in the USSR and then Russia and the break away republics. Worth a read for anyone interested in the subject or would like an insight into what makes the Russians of today 'tick.'

If you are looking for a general introduction to the turbulent history of Russia in the past century, I highly recommend this book. I originally purchased this book to "fill in the gaps" of my knowledge, primarly 1945-1975 and 1991-modern day. Though I commend the author for cramming 100+ years of history into a very engaging 550-ish pages of material, my sole gripe is the lack of detail spent on the period between WWII and Gorbachev. But, like I said, it is an entire 100 years in a single book. All things considered, it is very well put-together and an enjoyable read.

This is one of the easier reads on Russian history. I look forward to reading some of Service's other works.

It's important to understand the context of this review. I'm not a history buff, and I have no training in history. I'm going on my first trip to Russia in a month and wanted to understand more about Russian history than the five pages of context in my Fodor's. This was quite a lot more than that, but it has served me well. It's an intellectual read, but very well written - as a non-academic I enjoyed it greatly. If you are a "casual" historian preparing for a trip, this will be a thorough overview for you. If you just want a medium-strength review of Russia (more than Fodors, but not 600 pages), it might be a little more than you need.

A Good, Highly comprehensive History book of Modern Russia. I really liked it and highly recommend it to anybody taking a course on Russian History, or just curious about History.