A Short History of Russia
Subtitle: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Published: Jul 07, 2020
Language: eng
Format: hardcover
Number of pages: 224
ISBN-13: 9781335145703
Description: Russia is a country with no natural borders, no single ethnic group, no true central identity. At the crossroads of Europe and Asia, it has been subject to invasion by outsiders, from Vikings to Mongols, from Napoleon's French to Hitler's Germans. In order to forge an identity, it has mythologized its past to unite its people and to signal strength to outsiders. In a Short history of Russia, Mark Galeotti explores the history of this fascinating, glorious, desperate and exasperating country through two intertwined issues: the way successive influences from beyond its borders have shaped Russia, and the way Russians came to terms with this influence, writing and rewriting their past to understand their present and try to influence their future. In turn, this self-invented history has come to affect not just their constant nation-building project but also their relations with the world.
Notes: Source title: A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin