Russian Messianism: Third Rome, Revolution, Communism and After

by Peter J.S. Duncan

This is the first book in English for half a century to examine the complexities of Russian messianism, both as a whole and in its interaction with Communism. Peter Duncan considers its Orthodox roots and focuses on Russia's geopolitical experience and situation to explain the endurance of this phenomenon.

Genres: Russia

250 pages, Hardcover

First published May 4, 2000

About the author

Dr Pete Duncan is a Senior Lecturer at SSEES, UCL in London, England.

In the field of Russian foreign policy, my book The Soviet Union and India provides a detailed analysis of a relationship between the USSR and a major partner in what was then known as the Third World. It provided a perspective on Gorbachev's foreign policy innovations, at a time when there was much debate as to where these would lead. In internal Russian politics, my contributions to the co-authored The Road to Post-Communism: Independent Political Movements in the Soviet Union, 1985-1991 explained the dynamics of change within the Russian Republic. My Russian Messianism brought together themes from the history of Russian philosophy and political thought, the internal evolution of the Russian state, and Russia's geopolitical role.

My current research is on the relationship between internal change and foreign policy development in the Russian Federation, under El'tsin, Putin and Medvedev. This considers the rise and nature of Russian nationalism, the rise and fall of the oligarchs, the effects of leadership change and the impact of authoritarianism. I am writing a book on this for Routledge.

Reviews

[Bun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very in depth review of the various manifestations(religious, tsarist, populist, communist, nationalist) of Russian messianism. However, the author heavily veers into making normative statements, and the conclusion is largely policy proposals, which is why I've docked it a star.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

While well researched and extremely thorough, Duncan’s book is poorly written in my opinion. I recommend the books for anyone looking for research material but if you simply find the concepts covered in the book interesting I suggest finding another book or set of books.