Russia's Empires

by Valerie A. Kivelson, Ronald Grigor Suny

Russia's Empires explores the long history of Russia, the Soviet Union, and the present Russian Federation through the lens of empire, analyzing how and why Russia expanded to become the largest country on the globe and how it repeatedly fell under the sway of strong, authoritarian leaders. Authors Valerie A. Kivelson and Ronald Grigor Suny examine how imperial practices shaped choices and limited alternatives. Using the concept of empire, they look at the ways in which ordinary people imagined their position within a non-democratic polity--whether the Muscovite tsardom or the Soviet Union--and what concessions the rulers had to make, or appear to make, in order to establish their authority and preserve their rule.

Russia's Empires tackles the long history of the region, following the vicissitudes of empire--the absence, the coalescence, and the setbacks of imperial aspirations--across the centuries. The framework of empire allows the authors to address pressing questions of how various forms of non-democratic governance managed to succeed and survive, or, alternatively, what caused them to collapse and disappear. Studying Russia's extensive history in an imperial guise encourages students to pay attention to forms of inclusion, displays of reciprocity, and manifestations of ideology that might otherwise go unnoted, overlooked under the bleak record of coercion and oppression that so often characterizes ideas about Russia.

Genres: History, Russia, Nonfiction, Politics, Grad School

448 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2016

Reviews

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was used as a textbook for my Imperial Russian History class. I appreciated the more thesis driven approach, made it easier to parse.

[Effie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valerie Kivelson and Ronald Suny, in Russia’s Empires, were primarily concerned with the varied forms of empire throughout the Russian realm in space and in time, and so they argued that an empire was "a structure of governance that manifests some or all of the following four characteristics: First, it is a polity ruled by a sovereign claiming absolute sovereignty, an autocrat answering to no earthly power. Empires are ruled by a sovereign who often reigns above other rulers and kings, a king of kings. In most cases, second, empire is a polity ruling a vast domain composed of a collection of disparate lands and peoples, generally subjugated through conquest. Third, empire is based on inequitable, hierarchical relations of power between a privileged metropole, that is, the center, and disadvantaged, subordinated peripheries. This, in turn, means that, fourth and, most fundamental, its form of rule is exercised through difference rather than through integration or assimilation. Empire was a polity based on conquest and maintained through the difference between the ruling institution and its subjects, as well as the subordination of periphery to the imperial center." Using this notion as a lens through which to analyze Russian history from the medieval period to the modern day, Kivelson and Suny argued that the practice of manipulating the differences between the empire’s subject populations was the key to the success and longevity of the Russian empire. Most crucially, they argued that understanding the peripheries, not just the high drama of the imperial capitals, is essential to understanding Russian history.

[Shoaib M. Nagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great history of the Russian core and its relationship with its peripheries. Contrary to what a neoliberal hack at a CIA-funded think tank might have you believe, Russian expansionism/imperialism wasn't the most brutal. It was mild in comparision with the expansionist adventures of Western European countries and it barely employed racialism or extreme forms of ethnic chauvinism (the kind that leads to force assimilation and linguistic genocide) that was part and parcel of most colonial projects.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A basic Russian history text from a different point of view. Rather than trying to explain all of Russian history, Kivelson and Suny focus on the development of empire and imperialism, allowing them to bring in the histories of many peoples often left out of the story of Russia, but leaving out many important points one might expect to find in a general text.

[Ashley Watzig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned for two Russian history courses, from Kievan Rus to the Putin era. A very informative and thought-provoking read about the continuance of the concept of empire throughout Russian civilization.

[Paul Sarbaugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume is a mixed bag. It's coverage of the Soviet period is full of revisionist propaganda. It even ascribes good motives for the most heinous crimes of that period. It holds Lenin to be the saint and Stalin the devil. This outmoded viewpoint has been shown to be false as ALL tools of Soviet terror were created under Leinin. It is as if Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn never existed.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more history and less academic exploration. Good for what it was.

[Orel Beilinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thought-provoking book written by two prominent scholars of two sub-disciplines within Russian history: Valerie Kivelson representing Imperial Russia, and Ronald Suny representing the Soviet Union and the periphery in particular. In this synthetic work, the authors show how Russia, from Kiev to Putin, is based on "institutionalized differentiation, inequitable hierarchy, and bonds of reciprocity between ruler and ruled". Highly recommended.