Twentieth Century Russia: Eighth Edition

By Donald W. Treadgold

Book Overview

This classic work stands as the fullest, most comprehensive text available on twentieth-century Russian history. Donald Treadgold traces the wrenching transformations of Russian society in the opening decades of this century, marking the emergence of Russian Marxism from an obscure radical movement and chronicling its success as a vehicle for the seizure and maintenance of political power. He then examines the development of the policy and practice of the Soviet government over the course of its seventy-year history. Revised and updated to include an account of the countries of the former Soviet Union since the collapse of communism, Twentieth Century Russia presents a seasoned scholar's interpretation of modern Russian history.Although it centers on Russia's political changes throughout the century, this important work also examines developments in the economy, literature, arts, foreign affairs, and religion. The eighth edition is revised from beginning to end and attempts to reflect massive public research of recent years. It carries the Russian epic into 1994: the Brezhnev era, the Gorbachev interlude, the reemergence of nations of the former Soviet empire. The author adds vital new material to the introduction and provides updated analysis of the prerevolutionary economy and political scene. He also gives in-depth examinations of the attempted coup of August 1991, Boris Yeltsin's rise to power, and the extraordinarily complex economic and political problems facing post-Communist Russia. He concludes with a look into the future, evaluating the prospects for Russian democracy and economic reforms.This newly revised edition of a classic account of Russian history is appropriate as the main text for courses on twentieth-century Russian history or Soviet history, or as a supplemental text for courses on Soviet foreign policy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813318114
• ISBN13: 9780813318110
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Westview Press
• Length: 520 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 6.0" x 1.3"

Customer Reviews

A nice history of the country during the past century.

Professor Treadgold was a nice author of this needed history of Russia. I used this book in a history class of Russia and thought this book very interesting. I have just reread it, and it is still a classic book about the last hundred years history of Russia. Treadgold follows standard thought about most interpretations of Russian history. Even though I thought this book was great, the single chapters about Breshnev, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin do not do justice to these large spans of time for the country. I thought he could have put a few more chapters on these immensely important time periods. Lenin, Stalin, and Nicholas II are dealt in depth in the writing. The print is small and there are no pictures, just maps and writing. At over 400 pages, this is not for those who want a summary history of this nation. Rather it is for those who want to understand what happened in Russia during the last century.