Although by the 1980s the Soviet scientific establishment became the largest in the world, little is known about it in the West. Loren Graham presents the first concise, modern history of science in Russia, the Soviet Union, and the commonwealth of Independent States. Thoroughly up to date, the volume covers the Czarist period, the impact of the Russian Revolution, the relationship between science and Soviet society, the strengths of various scientific disciplines, and the effect of the fall of Communism.
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Editorial Reviews
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"...a splendid work, a breathtaking synthesis that is at once erudite and accessible, illuminating and a pleasure to read." Daniel J. Kevles
"Loren Graham's informative history...leaves one wondering how science could function at all....The remaining, very open, question is: How well will a newly freed Russian science survive the removal of the Soviet hand that nourished and battered it?" New York Times Book Review
"The premier historian of the subject here explores for the general reader how Russian politics, economics and society have shaped the nature and direction of Russian science....In spare and accessible form, Graham offers both a broad, insightful social and political history of Russia and science as well as much food for thought about the general consequences of the national context within which science grows." Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"...recommended to those who would like to know more about the world which nurtured scientists such as Mendeleev and Sakharov, but which also saw ideology used to suppress whole areas of scientific research." Robert Lewis, The Times Higher Education Supplement
"Writing on ideology and science, Graham provides a very good short summary of the principles of dialectical materialism relevant to science. He is also convincing when he argues that many good scientists took Marxism very seriously and used it in their work." Alexei Kojevnikov, Science
"An excellent, extremely readable introduction to the history of Russian and Soviet science and technology by an authority in the field." The New York Public Library
"Graham is one of our foremost students of the history of Russian science and this volume reflects a nearly unparalleled familiarity with all its aspects....It would be difficult to imagine a richer account of the subject in the space allotted. Often reviews declare that everyone in the field must read the given book; in this case it is the truth." Donald W. Treadgold, Slavic Review
"...well written, frequently insightful, and firmly grounded in the scholarly literature....This new social history will surely add much to an already complex and dramatic tale." Daniel P. Todes, American Historical Review
"...likely to remain an important scholarly landmark for years to come." Yakov Rabkin. Isis
"Written for the well-informed general reader, it contains much for the expert as well...Erudite in both Rissian and scientific history, Graham also writes gracefully. The book provides an easy and clear discussion of an intricate and complex subject. Whether you read one or many books about Russian science, this one is a must." Can Slavonic Papers
"Loren Graham's informative history...leaves one wondering how science could function at all....The remaining, very open, question is: How well will a newly freed Russian science survive the removal of the Soviet hand that nourished and battered it?" New York Times Book Review
"The premier historian of the subject here explores for the general reader how Russian politics, economics and society have shaped the nature and direction of Russian science....In spare and accessible form, Graham offers both a broad, insightful social and political history of Russia and science as well as much food for thought about the general consequences of the national context within which science grows." Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs
"...recommended to those who would like to know more about the world which nurtured scientists such as Mendeleev and Sakharov, but which also saw ideology used to suppress whole areas of scientific research." Robert Lewis, The Times Higher Education Supplement
"Writing on ideology and science, Graham provides a very good short summary of the principles of dialectical materialism relevant to science. He is also convincing when he argues that many good scientists took Marxism very seriously and used it in their work." Alexei Kojevnikov, Science
"An excellent, extremely readable introduction to the history of Russian and Soviet science and technology by an authority in the field." The New York Public Library
"Graham is one of our foremost students of the history of Russian science and this volume reflects a nearly unparalleled familiarity with all its aspects....It would be difficult to imagine a richer account of the subject in the space allotted. Often reviews declare that everyone in the field must read the given book; in this case it is the truth." Donald W. Treadgold, Slavic Review
"...well written, frequently insightful, and firmly grounded in the scholarly literature....This new social history will surely add much to an already complex and dramatic tale." Daniel P. Todes, American Historical Review
"...likely to remain an important scholarly landmark for years to come." Yakov Rabkin. Isis
"Written for the well-informed general reader, it contains much for the expert as well...Erudite in both Rissian and scientific history, Graham also writes gracefully. The book provides an easy and clear discussion of an intricate and complex subject. Whether you read one or many books about Russian science, this one is a must." Can Slavonic Papers
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mostly superficial and lacking in substance,
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This review is from: Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History (Cambridge Studies in the History of Science) (Paperback)
This study does the important job of outlining major Soviet achievements in the hard sciences (especially mathematics and physics), which are missed by too many popular sources. But the author's social-historical commentary is very superficial, and the appendix on technology completely misses the majority of development connected with military applications (which were mostly classified). There is essentially nothing here that one cannot get from a TIME magazine article from the 1960s-80s. Particular "technologies" are mentioned in a very superficial way which leaves one in doubt of the author's grasp of the technical issues involved, and wide generalities are repeated with no original historical analysis. This argument from ignorance is completely inexcusable now that much of Cold War projects are in the public domain (see, for e.g. Ken Alibekov's "Biohazard" or any of the open source material in Russian). Unfortunately most of the declassified archival material is only read by specialists, and the few popular expositions are in Russian. It is extremely unlikely that any historian of science would have the technical expertise to make a comprehensive synthesis, or even understand the points at issue.
A much better read would be "Science, Philosophy and Human Behavior in the Soviet Union" by the same author, which is much more informative.
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The study of the history of science in Russia and the Soviet Union raises basic questions about both Russian history and the nature of science. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
expeditionary work, sovetskoi nauki, ascending weights, znamenem marksizma, academy system, technical intelligentsia, science administrators, tsarist period, bourgeois specialists, relativity physics, dialectical materialists, tsarist government, akademiia nauk Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Soviet Union, Western Europe, United States, Communist Party, Russian Revolution, Soviet Russia, World War, West European, Moscow University, Cultural Revolution, Peter the Great, State Committee, Petersburg Academy, Russian Empire, Soviet Academy, Andrei Sakharov, French Revolution, History of Knowledge, Petersburg University, Boris Hessen, Church Slavonic, Communist Academy, Dmitrii Ivanovich, Nikolai Vavilov, Soviet Marxism New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The study of the history of science in Russia and the Soviet Union raises basic questions about both Russian history and the nature of science. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
expeditionary work, sovetskoi nauki, ascending weights, znamenem marksizma, academy system, technical intelligentsia, science administrators, tsarist period, bourgeois specialists, relativity physics, dialectical materialists, tsarist government, akademiia nauk Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Soviet Union, Western Europe, United States, Communist Party, Russian Revolution, Soviet Russia, World War, West European, Moscow University, Cultural Revolution, Peter the Great, State Committee, Petersburg Academy, Russian Empire, Soviet Academy, Andrei Sakharov, French Revolution, History of Knowledge, Petersburg University, Boris Hessen, Church Slavonic, Communist Academy, Dmitrii Ivanovich, Nikolai Vavilov, Soviet Marxism New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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37
books
cite this book:
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- Science, Philosophy and Human Behavior in the Soviet Union by Loren R. Graham on 7 pages
- On the Origin of Species (Penguin Classics) by Charles Darwin on 6 pages
- The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin on 6 pages
- The Origin Of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition by Charles Darwin on 6 pages
- Science and Technology (Oxford First Encyclopedia) by Andrew Langley on 5 pages
See all 100 books this book cites
- Empire of Nations: Ethnographic Knowledge and the Making of the Soviet Union (Culture and Society After Socialism) by Francine Hirsch on 5 pages
- Empire of Nations: Ethnographic Knowledge and the Making of the Soviet Union (Culture and Society After Socialism) by Francine Hirsch on 5 pages
- What Have We Learned about Science and Technology from the Russian Experience? by Loren R. Graham in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Science and Ideology: A Comparative History (Routledge Studies in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine) by Mark Walker on page 15, and page 61
- Russian Cultural Studies: An Introduction by Catriona Kelly on page 257, and page 305
See all 37 books citing this book
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