Russia: The Once and Future Empire From Pre-History to Putin (Hardcover)

by Philip Longworth (Author)
Key Phrases: istorii russkoi kolonizatsii, grand principality, grand prince, Soviet Union, United States, Black Sea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Territorial expansion and contraction are a salient theme in Russian history, and experienced historian Longworth initiates matters with a description of Russia's climatic extremities and the vagueness of its geographical limits, which have affected empires and peoples in the Russian lands. He hits his narrative stride with Kievan Rus, the first Russian state and cultural vessel of Orthodox Christianity. In terminal decline when extinguished by Mongolian hordes in the 1200s, Kiev was replaced by Mongol-ruled Russian satraps, one of which, the principality of Moscow, acquired preeminence and reclaimed independence. Why is one of the more interesting problems in all Russian history. Longworth readably recounts the role canny and aggressive rulers had in Moscow's rise. And after tracking the dynastic turmoil from which the Romanovs emerged in 1613, Longworth proceeds through Russia's subsequent enlargement with an eye on nationalities enveloped by the process. Their reconciliation or resistance to membership in an empire, punctuated by collapses in 1917 and 1991, informs the balance of Longworth's survey. A highly qualified candidate for the library's national-history shelf. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“A gripping and supremely readable book by the doyen of our historians of Russia, who truly knows how to bring this story of tsars and commissars to life. It combines shrewd analysis of Russia’s unique appetite for empire with a wonderful narrative pace and fine scholarship.”---Simon Sebag-Montefiore

“Longworth has a light, informed touch. . . . This attractive account comes from an expert on important topics in more than one century.”---Robert Service, Sunday Times

“A vivid, highly readable style. . . . Russia is a brilliantly ambitious survey of the whole of Russia’s imperial past. It is a battleground that has long been fought upon by historians. . . . Longworth’s gifts of synthesis and selection are especially well displayed. . . . [He has] an eye for essentials and a deep underlying knowledge.”---Lawrence Kelly, Literary Review

“Absorbing. . . . Longworth develops the idea in fascinating detail.”---Michael Kerrigan, Scotsman

 

“This is not a history of the Soviet Empire or of the Romanov Empire but a history of the expansion and contraction of four Russian empires. . . . This approach . . . tackle[s] a weakness in English-speakers whose countries . . . have expanded but . . . have remained static for some time. Russia is an exception to the rule and one needs to understand this in order to make sense of the current state of Russia today. . . . Where this excellent book excels is in its perspective because . . . what we now have is the end of one peculiarly Russian cycle, not the end of Russian history.”---Contemporary Review

 

“Fascinating and pregnant issues. . . . Longworth thinks and writes briskly . . . [and] his authority is commanding. . . . Above all, it is insight into the quintessence of being Russian that makes this such rewarding reading. . . . As too few other contemporary historians do, Longworth understands the predictive powers of history.”---The Times

  

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031236041X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312360412
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #283,564 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Survey, for Depth Look Elsewhere, October 19, 2007

By	M. Powers (Springfield, IL) - See all my reviews

Philip Longworth created an excellent survey of Russian history. One of the greatest virtues of this book is its readability. Longworth's writing style is light, and at times humorous. The final section, dealing with the collapse of the Soviet Union and its aftermath is particularly interesting, informative and well-written. It alone makes the purchase of this book worthwhile.

Even at the college level, Russian history is rarely taught as a stand-alone subject in the United States. At best, it is allotted a couple of lecture periods in a general European history class. While Longworth does not cover any particular area in great depth, his work will still be highly informative for the vast majority of its potential audience.

For those looking for depth and analysis, a subject-specific book may be a better choice. There are many good options dealing with various subjects. For 20th-century/WWII history, I highly recommend anything by David Glantz, and Stalin's Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939-1953 by Geoffrey Roberts

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A brief and decent survey of Russian history, March 20, 2007

By	Marc E. Nicholson (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I may be unfair in awarding Mr. Longworth's book only 3 stars. But what do these ratings mean? His book offers nothing new but it is a well written terse synopsis of Russian history. So I rated it at 3 stars. Others might say 4 stars.

Why is it not original? It is mostly based on secondary sources, not new research. The first chapter (claimed as original with some fanfare) delves into pre-history and attempts to find the sources of Russian character (and thus history) in the Russian physical environment. The speculative links between the two are well argued, but the conclusions as to Russian character are very general, thus of little explanatory value in specific history, and are in any case ultimately unprovable. And the book's claim to explain the underlying causes of the periodic rise and fall of Russia also breaks down. Its descriptions make clear that each of the four great "boom and bust" cycles of Russian history had its own reasons for Russia's ascendance and, more particularly, for its decline.

So the book's attempts to suggest "gee whiz" originality fail. But that said, this is a solid and elegantly written overview of Russian history if you want to compress eleven hundred years into about 300 pages. The focus of the book is political history, and in particular the waxing and waning of Russian imperial conquests, but Mr. Longworth often offers broader sociological or even climatological explanations for what--underneath--really drove events beyond the surface politics of the moment.
That approach does offer real value.

So I don't mean to underrate the book. It's not brilliant or terribly original, but it is solid. And if you want a quick read on Russian history, you would do well to purchase it. One complaint, however: Mr. Longworth appears to be among those revisionist historians who put most of the blame for the initiation of the Cold War on the West, in particular the U.S. I think he is totally off base, and his arguments in that regard are thinly argued and even more thinly sourced.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, if not entirely original, June 28, 2008

By	Jcb Atkn "JBA" (Mississippi) - See all my reviews

Overview:
This is a well-written bird's eye view of the history of the Russian people. It's argument is that unlike other "empires," Russia's identity/strength doe s not disappear when her Empire falls. Russia has gone through four or five major empires in the past 1300 years. She becomes (relatively) stronger after each fall.

Content:
There isn't much to add that other historians haven't said, aside from the above thesis. But I do want to look at some historiographical interpretations. The author does a good job in descriping the psyche of the Russian people. While fascinating, and having me convinced, it really can't be proven scientifically. But scientific knowledge has its limits, too. The author paints Russian figures "warts and all." Sometimes this leads to too critical an analysis of the Russian church. I was displeased that scant (if any) reference was made to the legend of the conversion to Orthodoxy of the Rus.

Final thoughts:
The book is useful in summarizing difficult parts of history. The narrative is smooth and compelling. Someone commented that the author is a left-ist revisionist historian blaming the West for Russia's ills. Maybe. While I am more "right wing" (I hate the term) than the author, I think there is some truth to the criticisms. One interesting note is the author ends the book (written in 2004) with a note of cautious optimism for Russia. Putin's Constantinian leadership of Russia further strengthened the author's case. This is a good book worth reading.