Russia: The Story of War
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.57 (707 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B072JV7P5M |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 532 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2018-02-16 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Indispensable for understanding where Russia has come from and where it is now. J. Wasserman I am a former student of Greg Carleton, and I read this book in manuscript. I work in Russia studies, and read a lot of books and articles about Russia. This book will form your understanding of Russian civilization for years to come.Carleton's work is objective and sober, but nevertheless compelling to read. He doesn't write as one of those *other* scholars who wrap themselves in the . Five Stars Amazon Customer This is a well written easy to read history book.
No nation is a stranger to war, but for Russians war is a central part of who they are. In Russia: The Story of War, Gregory Carleton explores how this belief has produced a myth of exceptionalism that pervades Russian culture and politics and has helped forge a national identity rooted in war. Their "motherland" has been the battlefield where some of the largest armies have clashed, the most savage battles have been fought, the highest death tolls paid. As Putin's Russia asserts itself in ever bolder ways, knowing how the story of its war-torn past shapes the present is essential to understanding its self-image and worldview.. War is the unifying thread of Russia's national epic, one that transcends its wrenching ideological transformations. Isolation becomes a virtuous destiny and the whole of its bloody history a point of pride. Time and again history has called upon Russia to play the savior - of Europe, of Christianity, of civilization itself - and its victories have come at immense cost. In this telling, even defeats lose their sting. While outsiders view Russia as an aggressor, Russians themselves see a country surrounded by enemies. Having prevailed over Mongol hordes and vanquished Napoleon and Hitler, many Russians believe no other nation has sacrificed so much for the world