- Paperback: 688 pages
- Publisher: Harvard University Press; 1 edition (April 1 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0674403487
- ISBN-13: 978-0674403482
- Product Dimensions: 23.5 x 15 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 826 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #919,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
From the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 to the collapse of communism in 1991, from Lenin to Yeltsin, the history of Russia in the 20th century is a complex, tumultuous story of social, geographic, and political upheaval. Robert Service, a professor at the University of London's School of Slavonic and Eastern European studies, closely looks at this period in A History of Twentieth-Century Russia. Starting with the armed revolution between 1918 and 1921, Service examines the influence of Leninist philosophy on the Bolshevik movement, while at the same time analyzing the complex social dynamics taking place in the background. His intention is to understand the ingredients of "The Soviet Compound"--the synthesis of social and political Leninist techniques--and how it perpetuated the Soviet state for more than half a century.
Service is also keen to debunk the theory that it was merely fear and intimidation that explains the endurance of the state. He cites welfare reforms, education, and significant economic progress as a unifying force that brought a share of betterment into Russian society. Students of Russian history will find this book informative and surprisingly powerful, in particular, Service's narrative on the causes of the Soviet collapse, which he believes Gorbachev's radical social reforms brought about by inadvertently opening the door for dramatic change to take place. --Jeremy Storey --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Politics and political leaders are the main characters of this detailed, balanced trip through Russia's tumultuous century because, as Service says in his introduction, "[t]he economic, social and cultural order in Russia in the twentieth century is quite incomprehensive without sustained attention to political developments." Service covers his topic comprehensively, beginning with the final years of the tsarist regime and continuing through the rise of the Bolsheviks, the terror of the Stalinist years and the slow, uneven disintegration that culminated with the reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev and the dismemberment of the Soviet Union. He also includes an afterword that assesses the future of post-Communist Russia. A professor of Russian history and politics at the University of London and the author of a trilogy on Lenin, Service avoids the politicization that has plagued Soviet history of recent years. Indeed, one of his main triumphs lies in his ability to depict the totalitarian nature of the regime, while simultaneously illuminating the unwieldy, chaotic society that co-existed with that regime. At times, the author's attention to detail becomes excessive, and he pays only glancing attention to cultural trends that would have deepened his study. Nevertheless, this book, which is written cleanly and with a bit of humor, is sure to become a reference work that few libraries and students of 20th-century Russian politics will want to be without.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written narrative history of modern Russia,
By Virgil "Virgil" (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A History of Twentieth-Century Russia (Hardcover)
There's no question that the Soviet regime was an indiscriminately ruthless entity. What is often overlooked is the fact that throughout it's existence it had the support of a large percentage of the population. This is often a bit shocking to Americans like myself who've spent time in Russia (even today many of the older generation still praise Krushchev for providing housing and dachas to the general populace). In "A History of Twentieth Century Russia" Robert Service brings a well written general history that in many ways addresses this. Service identifies the origins of the great terror in the Bolshevik regimes early years and the ascension of Stalin to power. He also identifies many of the educational, medical and other services much of the population recieved. This doesn't mean that Service ignores the genocide that occurred under the Bolsheviks. Not at all. Service, as a historian, merely attempts a general history- the good, the bad and the ugly. Service correctly attempts to show why some elements of the population where willing to put up with certain measures beyond just the terror they were exposed to. This is a good general history, more balanced and lacking the political bent that many American scholars often approach modern Russian history with. Service shows the brutality of the regime up front and as well as the constuctive changes that took place. And, as Service shows, these changes came at a very high price. Very readable and highly recommended.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Awful prose, discombulated; not a good narrative history,
By A_2007_reader (Vladivostok, Russia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A History of Twentieth-Century Russia (Hardcover)
I tend to agree with the LA Times review of this book. Also Service's writing style for this book was not fluid, it was too disjointed. Let me try and give an example (from the book). On second thought, it would be too wordy. The best I can say is that the prose just doesn't flow for me. This is not good in a narrative historical book like this. Writing style would not matter if it was an "encyclopedia", like Oxford puts out, as in a "Who's Who in the USSR", etc.On the other hand, there are a lot of facts crammed in lots of pages, and the index is not bad. Further, Service does hit a few home runs with opinionated paragraphs that are quite funny (e.g. "flying coffins", how Stalin's Air Minister was executed for making a bad joke; "chemically treated corpses", how Stalin's body lying in state caused a stampede that killed people, which the author attributes satirically to Stalin ruling from the grave; Brezhnev being plopped into his grave uncerimoniously to indicate he has fallen out of favor (literally) with the Kremlin. Also the author seems to rely too much on secondary sources it seems (then again, I suspect with the Soviets often destroying evidence, this is not unexpected in the field).
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing Book on Russia,
This review is from: A History of Twentieth-Century Russia (Paperback)
Robert Service does an excellent job his history of 20th Century Russia. His book is extremely detailed, yet it is so well written that the reader absorbs almost everything. Service ties in agriculture, economics, Russians, and most importantly Soviet leadership, to create a vivid story about why the Soviet Union became such a major power, and how it lasted seven decades on such a precarious pedestal. Everyone who wants to learn about Russia should have the History of Twentieth-Century Russia on their bookshelf.
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