Russia in Search of Itself [Hardcover]

James H. Billington (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0801879760 | ISBN-13: 978-0801879760 | Publication Date: March 19, 2004

In the turbulent decade since the collapse of the Soviet Union, conditions have worsened considerably for many Russians, and a wide-ranging debate has raged over the nature and destiny of their country. In Russia in Search of Itself, James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress and a noted expert on Russia, examines the efforts of a proud but troubled nation to find a post-Soviet identity. The agenda has not been controlled from the top-down and center-out as in Russia's past. Nor has it been set by any intellectual giant such as Sakharov or Solzhenitsyn.

Billington describes the contentious discussion occurring all over Russia and across the political spectrum. He finds conflicts raging among individuals as much as between organized groups and finds a deep underlying tension between the Russians' attempts to legitimize their new, nominally democratic identity, and their efforts to craft a new version of their old authoritarian tradition. After showing how the problem of Russian identity was framed in the past, Billington asks whether Russians will now look more to the West for a place in the common European home, or to the East for a new, Eurasian identity. Billington sees three elements shaping Russian culture: Orthodox Christianity; a special feeling for nature; and an intermittent, sometimes excessive passion for imported innovation. Out of this mix, he suggests, Russia must find its own moral anchor for its venture into democracy if it is to avoid falling back on a negative and authoritarian nationalism in order to recreate some sense of common purpose in society.

The prospects for world peace in the twenty-first century depend in large measure on the way Russians decide to define themselves in the next few years. Drawing on his vast knowledge of Russian history, his frequent visits to Russia in the past decade, and his longstanding relationships with Russians from many different regions and segments of society, Billington provides an authoritative exploration of one of the world's most pressing issues.

(2005)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Russia has been in search of itself for a long time. For the present state of the old vs. new debate there is no better guide than this short book by James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress since 1987.

(Walter Laqueur The Moscow Times.com 2004)

A fond, eccentric mix of deep knowledge and fresh information. This is clearly a book for the cognoscenti.

(Richard Lourie Washington Post Book World 2005)

One of our foremost historians of Russia... He is acutely aware of how culture can influence political developments.

(Joshua Rubenstein Opinion Journal 2004)

Takes a close-up look at one of the world's most pressing issues, the turbulent conditions of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the efforts of Russia to find a post-Soviet identity.

(Forecast 2005)

Modest in scale (but not conception)... Russia in Search of Itself ought to be required beach reading for the administration's policy-makers... Most political prognostications benefit from being qualified and hedged. Mr. Billington, guided by the extraordinary history of the land and people he knows so well, here courageously opts for the opposite approach.

(Martin Sieff Washington Times 2004)

A valuable overview of current thinking on the Russian national idea.

(Kathryn Pinnick Survival )

If you want to be ahead of the crowd in understanding it [contemporary Russia's intellectual ferment 'in spite of the growing repressiveness of the current regime'], read James Billington.

(Times Literary Supplement )

The author's exposure to the ideas and interests of the young Russian intelligence has enriched his book with unique material.

(Serhy Yekelchyk Nationalities Papers )

This book is valuable primarily for its thorough survey of various contemporary Russian opinions about the country's past and present identity and what it should be in the future.

(Choice )

The style is in many ways more literary than political science, but its content treads confidently across today's Russia.

(Edwin Bacon Political Studies Review )

An engaging look at Russian identity formation through the lens of intellectual history.

(Alison Rowley Canadian Slavonic Papers )

Russia in Search of Itself ought to be required beach reading for the administration's foreign policy-makers.

(Martin Sieff Sunday Times )

A slim but extraordinarily useful survey of the main currents in Russian thought and letters in the post-Soviet era.

(Martin Walker International Affairs )

About the Author

James H. Billington has been the Librarian of Congress since 1987. The originator and guiding force of two major Russian-American bipartisan initiatives in Congress in the 1990s—Meeting of the Frontiers, a bilingual, online educational library; and the Open World Program, which has brought more than 7,500 emerging young Russian leaders to America—he also founded the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies in 1974 as director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. A foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, he is the author of five books on Russia, including, most recently, Russia Transformed and The Face of Russia.

(2004)

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Woodrow Wilson Center Press (March 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801879760
• ISBN-13: 978-0801879760
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,101,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Russia in Search of Itself, June 1, 2006

By 

Grant (Wyoming) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Russia in Search of Itself (Hardcover)

A book that seems too small to contain the material that it covers. The reader is left with the feeling that Billington started with at least 10,000 pages of good material and was forced to squeeze a Reader's Digest version of it into 234 pages. This results in a rather choppy text that seems to bubble over with non sequitors. If you like puzzles and opportunities to pursue loose ends thru other books and resources, this might be a really neat book to read. If you cherish a smooth read, you will not be happy until the last two chapters. In fact, the last chapter (Conclusion) is quite good and might be worth the price of the book all by itself. Billington makes some interesting and potentially useful points about Russia and the Russian psyche in the conclusion.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dives deep into the Russian mindset, November 19, 2006

By 

Art (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Russia in Search of Itself (Hardcover)

Russian studies, once the king of international relations, has fallen by the wayside since the end of the Cold War. The threat of Islamic terrorism, the economic potential of Asia, and the crisis of the developing world have overshadowed Russian studies. Despite this fall, James Billington lays out a concise treatise on why, despite being deeply studied during the Cold War, we know so little of the Russians and why we should continue to follow its evolution.

With the lens of "evil communism" removed from the Russian stereotype, the author attempts to make sense of the complex, depressed, and overly emotional Russian identity. As Russia stumbles into the 21st century, its core question remains, is it a European or an Asian power, or is it something entirely unique. Billington is one of the American grand masters of Russian studies, his fame and connections gives him easy access to the remnants of Russia's once important intelligentsia. What Billington finds is a lost and confused people, who realize they were betrayed by communism, but feel equally fooled by democracy and economic shock therapy.

Billington's work, while deeply though provoking, is not for the novice of Russian culture. A solid foundation in Russian hisotry is required. His preference for academic elite causes the voice the average Russian to go missing.

While Russian studies have lost some of its luster, the mere size, nuclear power, and massive natural resource base of Russia will cause it to be a area of prominent concern to U.S. national security for generations. For this reason alone, a firm understanding of the Russian national character is critical in any attempt to predict or explain Russia's future. Billington's insight into the true nature of the Russian soul is without equal.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Struggle to Find Itself., July 1, 2004

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Russia in Search of Itself (Hardcover)

Dr. Billington has been the Librarian of Congress since 1987. For at least thirty years he has studied Russia, both as a historian and cultural specialist. This is his sixth book on Russia.==This book is about how Russians have been thinking about their nation since the collapse. It is not a history of Russia, but an attempt to understand how the heirs of a great tradition are grappling under new conditions of freedom.

In many ways, the average Russian is worse off than before the collapse. How will this translate into voting for leaders in the coming years? Will Russia attempt to revert to its more authoritarian past? Can the country get through the times that it is now seeing and become an exemplory democracy? The book presents some interesting views based on talking with many Russian people.