Russia - The Present and the Past Author:Edward Acton In this book, Eward Acton undertakes the exhilerating but perilous task of surveying the whole sweep of Russian history in order to introduce, and expain, the Soviet Union as it is today. The framework of Russia is chronological, running from the original ninth century Russian state of Kiev through the rise and fall of T... more »sarism to the Revolution of 1917, and from the the traumatic ordeal of Stalinism to the stabilization achieved in the post-war decades.
Rather than spreading his coverage evenly across the centuries, however, Dr. Acton concentrates upon five key themes which are central to an understanding of late twentieth century Soviet society: how Moscow came to rule over a territory so vast it now covers one sixth of the earth's surface; the complex ways in which Russia's international setting interacted with her socio-political develoment; why it should have been Russia, the most backward of the European Great Powers, that experienced the Revolutionary upheaval of 1917; how this backwardness has affected her political, economic, social and cultural development since the Revolution; and finally, how the State has come to mediate such a broad range of human activity. It is this relationship between the Russian State and Russian society at large which proides the guiding thread of Dr Acton's analysis.
Edward Acton's forceful and highly readable interpretation of Russian history is based on a critical assessment of the great mass of specialist research which has recently appeared from Soviet as well as western sources. it is fully illustrated with maps and halftones.« less