Russia and the Soviet Union: A Historical Introduction from the Kievan State to the Present

by John M. Thompson

This balanced and succinct account of Russian and Soviet history covers from the first Kievan states to the present day.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russian History, Russia, European History, Soviet History

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Dylan Siebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, readable introduction to the history of Russia. I found the outdated third edition at the thrift store, so for me the book stopped in 1994 with the fate of the post-Soviet states still unclear.

I mainly wanted to read something that would help me get the main dates and rulers and other important cultural figures in my head, and in the right order. I have this project that involves drawing historical timelines, you see... This book did the job. I was frustrated by how often the words 'backward' and 'undeveloped' came up in the text, as though there was always more to say about what Russia lacked than about what it had to contribute to world history. I also wanted more information about the Orthodox Church, which by all accounts has been at the centre of Russian culture since 988 A.D., and how it differs from the branches of Christianity I'm familiar with.

Next steps involve learning more about the 19th-century golden age of intellectual and artistic endeavour in Russia, between Catherine the Great and Lenin. Update to follow here on Goodreads.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid history. I've used it in classes since the 4th edition. The most recent one (No. 9) was just released in July 2021 and is now listed as co-authored by John M. Thompson and Christopher J. Ward (actually, Ward's name now comes first). It has been updated especially in the latter parts, which deal with more recent times, but also in various other places where current events have changed the historical approach. For instance, the very first section on Kievan Rus' has been updated to include material on contemporary Kyiv and today's Ukraine, which claims (along with Belarus) the same heritage as contemporary Russia. I sometimes use this contested history as an entry point, for US students today, into what might otherwise seem overly technical to them. Current events make this 1000-year-ago time period absolutely contemporary. I'm a little less happy with the changes to the second chapter, which seems to dismiss the 200+year Mongol period of Russian cultural history as something superficial if not to say cosmetic for its long-term development. This feels rather Eurocentric (seeing Russia as almost entirely a European country) and ignores much of the scholarship on Russia as also an Asian country. Nevertheless, the presentation is clear and can be supplemented by other texts that do a good job of introducing the Mongol influence as more formative than Ward/Thompson, and many national Russian historians for that matter, would like to suggest.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been carting this book around since undergrad, when I read most of it for a history course on Russia and the Soviet Union. (I don't think I skipped any assigned readings, we just glossed over most of the Kievan Rus' stuff.) I never became an expert on Russian historiography (I'm sad to say), but I think this is a pretty good intro. Thompson condenses a thousand-plus years into 400 pages; though each chapter begins with a narrative sketch of a key event, this is essentially a textbook (aren't all books text-books?), outlining key themes and developments in a clear, lucid (if rather dry) manner. A lot of "big picture" stuff I kinda sorta knew; a lot of the more specific details I'll probably forget, but I wanted to revisit in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the complex historical relationship between the two nations is elucidated here: Kiev (hereafter Kyiv) was the center of early Russian civilization before the rise of Moscow in the fourteenth century; Ukraine subsequently developed as its own society and culture for a few centuries before being absorbed by the Russian Empire in the later seventeenth century.

Thompson writes from an American perspective, but is, I think, fair and sincere in trying to understand the Russian experience and the complexities of Russian history. He resists reductive characterizations of and explanations for Russia's history of authoritarianism, and examines some disagreements in historiography. He appreciates, even in some sense admires--and also delineates the nuances and disagreements within Marxism vis-a-vis--the 1917 (October) Revolution(s). My sixth edition ends in 2008, with an evaluation of Putin's first presidency--during which time Russia emerged from the dark period following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but also moved in a more authoritarian direction and engaged in a brutal war in Chechnya. As Marx said, history repeats, first as tragedy, then as tragedy.

[Julian Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm planning a future long trip to Russia and neighboring countries, so thought I ought to start getting some idea of Russia's history. I knew quite a bit from the 1917 revolution onwards but was pretty sketchy before that.

This is a decent primer on Russian history, I think others have said that it was a set text for college courses they were studying. I think it reads halfway between academic text and accessible history book.

The book is organized into neat periods of time, which made it easy to read. The author sometimes picks out historical incidents and explains why these are important in modern-day Russia, and sometimes he allows the reader to make his/her own connections.

If you are looking to get a basic understanding of Russia's history. This does the job well.

[Sarah Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and very readable book about the history of Russia up to the publication of the book in the late 1990s. The book is well organized; each chapter concerns one period in history with an introduction and a summary with the bibliography included at the end of the chapter. Highly recommended.

[Kati Higginbotham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent introduction to Russia. Highly recommended. My one frustration is the author’s opinion on some things that seem like they don’t need an opinion. “There are no quality symphonies from this time”. Really? Objectively? Or just none that you find to be quality.

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, great understanding, highly respectable work
This would be a great 'first book on Russia

Author's perspective is clearly American

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Russian History class and really enjoyed it. I had another history class last year with the same teacher and we had to read an incredibly boring book about European history that made it really hard to read it everyday for my class. This book was not like that. Every chapter started with an interesting vignette pertinent to the chapter that showed the tsars of Russian in a really human way before starting the straight up facts. But even Thompson's factual information is presented in such a light that he seems to be telling a story rather than listing off events. This is a really great foundational book for any Russian history class.

[Brad Rousse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, informative overview of Russian history from the ancient past to the year 2012. A good read if you want to understand what makes Russia and her people tick. Can't help but notice the comments about tensions with Ukraine, Putin's continuing authoritarianism and the trends towards aggressive foreign policy, though.

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I would have never read this book if it were not for the fact that it was required for my history class. But having now read it; the book is not bad at all, it actually makes Russian history interesting to someone that does not give a darn.

[Elvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly interesting and very well written book about a subject I knew very little. His style keeps it interesting and that is often not true where this much history has to be covered. I will seek other books by this author solely because I like his style.

[Alice19thsr · Rating 4 out of 5]

though i have the 6th edition

[Megan]

Russia and the Soviet Union: An Historical Introduction from the Kievan State to the Present by John M. Thompson (1998)

[Rebecca Brink · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more satiable textbooks, and balanced.

[Cecelia]

Its alright, I had to read it for a class otherwise i wouldn't have bought it, let alone pick it up off the shelf