Russia In The Twentieth Century

Russia experienced a violent and tumultuous twentieth century, punctuated by invasions, the rise and fall of a totalitarian regime and domestic turmoil. From Nicholas II to Vladimir Putin, Russia in the Twentieth Century provides an accessible and comprehensive guide to a century of upheaval within Russia and the wider world. With a broad chronological sweep taking in events from 1894 to 2008, and in-text biographies of major figures, David R. Marples incorporates recent research and archival findings to paint a complete picture of Russia’s recent history, including:

• The October revolution
• NEP and the rise of Stalin
• The Great Purge and the Great Patriotic War
• Khrushchev’s reforms and foreign policy
• The Brezhnev regime
• Gorbachev, Glasnost and Perestroika
• The decline and recovery from Yeltsin to Putin

Russia in the Twentieth Century is an up-to-date and complete guide for students seeking a path through the complex politics of twentieth century Russia. David R. Marples is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of History and Classics, University of Alberta, Canada. He is author of twelve books on contemporary Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, including Lenin’s Revolution: Russia 1917-1921 (2000) and The Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991 (2004). The history of Russia, as the natural successor to the Soviet Union, is of crucial importance to understanding why communism ultimately lost out to Western democracy and the free market system. David Marples presents a balanced overview of 20th century Russian history and shows that although contemporary Russia has retained many of the practices and memories of the Soviet period, it is not about to revert back to the Soviet example.