The Structure of Soviet History: Essays and Documents - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195137043 ISBN 13: 9780195137040

Publisher: OUP USA, 2002

Synopsis

The Structure of Soviet History is a unique collection of primary documents and important scholarly articles that tell the fascinating and tragic story of Russia's twentieth century. Ronald Grigor Suny, an eminent historian and political scientist, has compiled pieces that illustrate the revolutionary changes as well as the broad continuities in Soviet History. Not only does he tell the story of Russian people but also of the other Soviet peoples, the nationalities that also made up the tsarist and Soviet empires and formed independent states in the early 1990s. Students can use this volume to delve beyond the usual stories of Russian and Soviet history to look at the building blocks of history—archival documents, memoirs, and interpretive essays by the leading experts in the field. Readers will learn about the fall of the tsarist empire, the hopes, and aspirations of the revolutionary years, the brutalities of the Stalin years, the attempts to reform the country in the last decades of Soviet power, and finally the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of fifteen fragile republics. Rather than imposing a single view on the reader, the book allows students to use a variety of materials to come up with their own, fresh interpretation of a controversial and often misunderstood experience.
The selections cover political, social, and cultural history from a variety of viewpoints: official pronouncements, dissident manifestos, memoirs, letters and literature. Organized chronologically, these documents and essays examine all of the major events and principal interpretations of Soviet history. An introductory essay provides the broad outlines of Soviet history and the book's framework, while the chapter introductions summarize the main features of each period . Each document is prefaced by headnotes that identify the author and place the work in context. Explanatory notes are also included, wherever necessary, to define words and events that may not be familiar to readers.

About this title

Product Description

A collection of primary documents and scholarly articles that tell the tragic story of Russia's 20th century. Ronald Grigor Suny, an historian and political scientist, has compiled pieces that illustrate the revolutionary changes as well as the broad continuities in Soviet history.

Review

'Particularly inspired is Suny's inclusion of the minutes of a meeting of Soviet composers with Andrey Zhadanov in 1948' (Ivan I. Sovokin, E-W Review, Summer and Autumn 2003)

'fruitfully combines a collection of essays with a compilation of primary documents...Clearly aimed at undergraduates, the volume is an excellent teaching resource... the volume provides invaluable instruction in both the practice and the subject of Soviet history' (Daniel Beer, Journal of European Studies)

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195137043
• ISBN 13: 9780195137040
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 592
• Editor: Suny Ronald Grigor