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A History of Russia: From Peter the Great to Gorbachev
1131 min18 h 51 min
It's difficult to imagine a nation with a history more compelling for Americans than Russia. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, this was the nation against which we measured our own nation's values and power and with whom war, if it ever came, could spell unimaginable catastrophe for our planet. Yet many Americans have never had the opportunity to study Russia in depth, and to see how the forces of history came together to shape a future so different from the dreams of most ordinary Russian people, eager to see their nation embrace Western values of progress, human rights, and justice. Now a much-honored teacher has created a series of 36 lectures designed to give you one of the deepest glimpses into Russia you've ever had - a vivid journey through 300 years of Russian history as seen through the eyes of her own people. You'll discover historical themes made clear not by discussing treaties, war declarations, or economic statistics - but by examining the lives and ideas of the men and women who were tsars, emperors, Communist Party leaders, writers, artists, peasants, and factory workers. You'll grasp what Russian life was like as Professor Steinberg analyzes ideas of power not only from the viewpoint of its rulers, but also from that of the ruled; the theme of happiness and its pursuit that resonates throughout Russian history, and ideas of morality and ethics as wielded by both the Russian state and its critics. And you'll listen as he brings alive the vibrant Russian imagination - so willing to visualize a different kind of life for its people, yet so burdened by its darker sides of doubt and pessimism that those visions were rejected.
It's difficult to imagine a nation with a history more compelling for Americans than Russia. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, this was the nation against which we measured our own nation's values and power and with whom war, if it ever came, could spell unimaginable catastrophe for our planet. Yet many Americans have never had the opportunity to study Russia in depth, and to see how the forces of history came together to shape a future so different from the dreams of most ordinary Russian people, eager to see their nation embrace Western values of progress, human rights, and justice. Now a much-honored teacher has created a series of 36 lectures designed to give you one of the deepest glimpses into Russia you've ever had - a vivid journey through 300 years of Russian history as seen through the eyes of her own people. You'll discover historical themes made clear not by discussing treaties, war declarations, or economic statistics - but by examining the lives and ideas of the men and women who were tsars, emperors, Communist Party leaders, writers, artists, peasants, and factory workers. You'll grasp what Russian life was like as Professor Steinberg analyzes ideas of power not only from the viewpoint of its rulers, but also from that of the ruled; the theme of happiness and its pursuit that resonates throughout Russian history, and ideas of morality and ethics as wielded by both the Russian state and its critics. And you'll listen as he brings alive the vibrant Russian imagination - so willing to visualize a different kind of life for its people, yet so burdened by its darker sides of doubt and pessimism that those visions were rejected.
1131 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2003
44 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
About the author
Mark D. Steinberg
23 books17 followersA specialist on the cultural, intellectual, and social history of Russia and the Soviet Union in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Mark D. Steinberg is professor of history at the University of Illinois.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
March 22, 2022
In light of the current war in Ukraine, I decided I ought to learn something more about Russian history. These lectures are a good place to start. While Steinberg is not exactly an eloquent speaker, and often seems to stumble over his own words, he is clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject, and does his best to cover as much ground as possible in these 36 lectures. He is best when speaking about his own specialty—intellectual and religious history, especially in the time around the Revolution—and somewhat weaker on political and especially military history. Any survey course is bound to be uneven, but I felt that he shortchanged both tzarist Russia and the Soviet Union after Stalin. Even so, I learned a great deal.
A few patterns emerge from this history. One is that periods of political upheaval follow military defeats (and it remains to be seen how the current conflict plays out). Another is that Russia has a long, long history of struggle between attempts at reform and conservative backsliding. Of course, this is something that could be said about innumerable countries, though in Russia this takes a particular form. The attempts at reform—from Peter the Great to Gorbachev—are consistently attempts to incorporate some selected ideas from the ‘West,’ in order to make the country more powerful and advanced, while the conservative backsliding seems to always involve a glorification of military values. Curiously, even the most reform-minded of Russia’s leaders (and this includes Lenin), were authoritarians, believing a strong leader necessary to the country’s strength. Movements towards democracy, in other words, seldom seem to get very far.
Let us hope, then, that history is not destiny.
A few patterns emerge from this history. One is that periods of political upheaval follow military defeats (and it remains to be seen how the current conflict plays out). Another is that Russia has a long, long history of struggle between attempts at reform and conservative backsliding. Of course, this is something that could be said about innumerable countries, though in Russia this takes a particular form. The attempts at reform—from Peter the Great to Gorbachev—are consistently attempts to incorporate some selected ideas from the ‘West,’ in order to make the country more powerful and advanced, while the conservative backsliding seems to always involve a glorification of military values. Curiously, even the most reform-minded of Russia’s leaders (and this includes Lenin), were authoritarians, believing a strong leader necessary to the country’s strength. Movements towards democracy, in other words, seldom seem to get very far.
Let us hope, then, that history is not destiny.
July 19, 2018
A decent account of more modern Russian history, though its focus is mainly social/intellectual. Steinberg uses the phrase "for good measure" more than anyone I've ever heard in my life. It got to be slightly irritating after hearing it in nearly every episode.
June 14, 2022
This was a very interesting history of Russia. Well, partial history anyway, since as the title says, it starts with Peter the Great and ends with Gobachev, but it covers that time period very well. The lecturer touched not just on the political and philosophical debates over those centuries but how that effected their literature and art as well. This was the first I heard of Greece's influence on early Russian culture, in particular religion, though with the Ottoman Empire being a thing, that makes sense. It's just so easy to overlook how these various cultures can sometimes overlap and influence each other.
As you can imagine, this is one of the longer courses with eighteen lectures. Steinberg speaks very clearly and is easy to follow, and his delivery is pretty smooth.
The supplementary material was lacking though. The PDF was merely the outline for each lecture, with zero visual aids to go along with it.
As you can imagine, this is one of the longer courses with eighteen lectures. Steinberg speaks very clearly and is easy to follow, and his delivery is pretty smooth.
The supplementary material was lacking though. The PDF was merely the outline for each lecture, with zero visual aids to go along with it.
February 2, 2024
This 36 lecture course on the history of Russia covers the period from Peter the Great to the time of the fall of communism under Gorbachev. However, most of the lectures are focused on the time period from about 1830-1917, I got the idea that Professor Steinberg is most interested in the causes of the Russian Revolution and the way society changed during that period. This course is mostly a cultural and intellectual history, there is political history, but it is not the primary focus of this course. That was actually fine with me. I have a fair understanding of Russia's history and hearing about the groups that rose to power and the dissidents that were seeking change was interesting.
Professor Steinberg speaks fairly well and is easy to understand. I didn't think his speech mannerisms were a distraction in any way. The period of Peter the Great, Nicholas II, the rise of Lenin, and Stalin were well covered in this course. The rest of Russian/Soviet history does get a fairly brief mention. This is not a great course for people who are learning Russian history for the first time, because some events are excluded. Intellectual reformers were also well covered. I've always thought that Russia's history is extremely fascinating. I enjoyed taking a deeper dive into understanding more about this country past and the people who shaped it. The course guidebook is nothing special however.
Professor Steinberg speaks fairly well and is easy to understand. I didn't think his speech mannerisms were a distraction in any way. The period of Peter the Great, Nicholas II, the rise of Lenin, and Stalin were well covered in this course. The rest of Russian/Soviet history does get a fairly brief mention. This is not a great course for people who are learning Russian history for the first time, because some events are excluded. Intellectual reformers were also well covered. I've always thought that Russia's history is extremely fascinating. I enjoyed taking a deeper dive into understanding more about this country past and the people who shaped it. The course guidebook is nothing special however.
April 9, 2016
Since I know a very little about Russian history, I can't say that I didn't learn some things. However, the lecturer really let me down in several ways:
- he was flippant, and he made light of some pretty horrible things.
- he flaunted his academic pedigree and that of his colleagues and his person, social connections.
- he inserted his own opinions: when defining the Russian word for slippery, he mentioned that the "man currently in the white house is slippery", referring presumably to former president Bill Clinton. Highly unprofessional.
- most importantly, he severely dated this course by making reference to what "we all remember..." but since he was speaking in the 90's, future listeners will not. He did this frequently.
- he was flippant, and he made light of some pretty horrible things.
- he flaunted his academic pedigree and that of his colleagues and his person, social connections.
- he inserted his own opinions: when defining the Russian word for slippery, he mentioned that the "man currently in the white house is slippery", referring presumably to former president Bill Clinton. Highly unprofessional.
- most importantly, he severely dated this course by making reference to what "we all remember..." but since he was speaking in the 90's, future listeners will not. He did this frequently.
October 15, 2019
Very good overview. Mind, it is an OVERVIEW. If you want to go really in-depth with a lot of this stuff, you'll need to read other books and do more research, but it's comprehensive and really well done. Great lecture series. Highly recommend. Lots of jumping-off points for plenty of rabbit holes.
October 31, 2022
Truly insightful! I have never understood so many details about the Russian Revolution but the post-WWII chapters were increasingly lackluster. Almost as if the author’s lectures about those years were truncated in allotted time.
Peter the Great and Catherine the Great and the entire Romanov dynasty provided excellent chapters for consideration. The level of European influence during the Romanov years was surprising to me.
It seems the Russian people have been so long under some form of autocracy they no longer fight seriously for self-determination.
Most credible and excellent book.
Highly recommend. 5 stars.
Peter the Great and Catherine the Great and the entire Romanov dynasty provided excellent chapters for consideration. The level of European influence during the Romanov years was surprising to me.
It seems the Russian people have been so long under some form of autocracy they no longer fight seriously for self-determination.
Most credible and excellent book.
Highly recommend. 5 stars.
October 22, 2020
Prof Steinberg's course is a great example of the course that finds the balance between the discussions on information not readily available and engagement.
The course should be recommended for all that it omitted to accommodate everything else. From Dostoevsky to the Chernobyl, and with only passing references to monumental topics like the Napoleonic war, the details of the Eastern Front, the cold war, the Warsaw Pact, and the Eastern Bloc, etc., the Professor arduously avoids topics which are well covered elsewhere or should be reasonably familiar to anyone with the most basic interest in Russia.
Instead, the engaging discourses have ample time for the interpretations and inferences through allusions to the lesser-known details of the significant events/personalities and more elaboration of the relevant rest. One gets a vivid idea of how a nation and its leaders struggle for centuries against their own complexes regarding the society's traditional/non-modern values and views, backwardness in literacy and warfare, and a modernity that kept surging outside its borders. The Professor covers best are its biggest personalities' evolutionary journeys along some conservative/liberal, orthodox/modern, rational/spiritual, democratic/authority-based, or individualistic/societal/communistic axes. In most other courses and books, many Russian czars and communist leaders are portrayed as unidimensional characters with firm biases and other inhuman tendencies. The course succeeds in humanizing almost everyone, and from there to various cyclical forces that drove the country's historic, political, and other social progress.
Like almost any country's or nation's, Russian history is highly exciting and nuanced; the course has the perfect pace and tone to do it justice.
The course should be recommended for all that it omitted to accommodate everything else. From Dostoevsky to the Chernobyl, and with only passing references to monumental topics like the Napoleonic war, the details of the Eastern Front, the cold war, the Warsaw Pact, and the Eastern Bloc, etc., the Professor arduously avoids topics which are well covered elsewhere or should be reasonably familiar to anyone with the most basic interest in Russia.
Instead, the engaging discourses have ample time for the interpretations and inferences through allusions to the lesser-known details of the significant events/personalities and more elaboration of the relevant rest. One gets a vivid idea of how a nation and its leaders struggle for centuries against their own complexes regarding the society's traditional/non-modern values and views, backwardness in literacy and warfare, and a modernity that kept surging outside its borders. The Professor covers best are its biggest personalities' evolutionary journeys along some conservative/liberal, orthodox/modern, rational/spiritual, democratic/authority-based, or individualistic/societal/communistic axes. In most other courses and books, many Russian czars and communist leaders are portrayed as unidimensional characters with firm biases and other inhuman tendencies. The course succeeds in humanizing almost everyone, and from there to various cyclical forces that drove the country's historic, political, and other social progress.
Like almost any country's or nation's, Russian history is highly exciting and nuanced; the course has the perfect pace and tone to do it justice.
January 8, 2022
Very comprehensive lecture series. I like that most of it is from the point of view of the general society rather than focusing on the power players. I especially liked the social analysis of the 20th century.
Peter the Great's rule is a pivotal moment in Russian history. While history before Peter the Great casted a long shadow (and probably continues to do so today), Prof. Steinberg managed to summarize the state of pre-Petrine Russia very well in the first chapter. Steinberg periodically highlighted the oscillating currents of reformists and reactionaries - this theme continues to this day. It helped me contextualize Putinist Russia as just the latest current of authoritarianism in Russia.
One theme that I wished Steinberg had covered was military and foreign affairs. He mentions in his last lecture that the position of their country in World affairs matters to the Russian people. However, there were no details about the Great Northern War with Sweden, or the centuries long struggle with Turkey, or the conquest of Central Asia and Siberia, or the Napoleonic wars or the Crimean war. The World Wars were covered in detail, perhaps because they impacted events and people in Russia far more significantly than the other wars. But no mention was made of the Cold War, which played such a critical role in Western countries. Or about the impact that Russia had on the Warsaw Pact and other countries.
Peter the Great's rule is a pivotal moment in Russian history. While history before Peter the Great casted a long shadow (and probably continues to do so today), Prof. Steinberg managed to summarize the state of pre-Petrine Russia very well in the first chapter. Steinberg periodically highlighted the oscillating currents of reformists and reactionaries - this theme continues to this day. It helped me contextualize Putinist Russia as just the latest current of authoritarianism in Russia.
One theme that I wished Steinberg had covered was military and foreign affairs. He mentions in his last lecture that the position of their country in World affairs matters to the Russian people. However, there were no details about the Great Northern War with Sweden, or the centuries long struggle with Turkey, or the conquest of Central Asia and Siberia, or the Napoleonic wars or the Crimean war. The World Wars were covered in detail, perhaps because they impacted events and people in Russia far more significantly than the other wars. But no mention was made of the Cold War, which played such a critical role in Western countries. Or about the impact that Russia had on the Warsaw Pact and other countries.
July 25, 2023
This is a decent summary of Russian history from the beginning of the formal Russian empire to the end of the Gorbachev era. As with most survey works, this history doesn't delve very deep into any single topic. Thankfully, though, this history isn't limited to just the lives and actions of the ruling groups and elite classes.The instructor, Professor Mark Steinberg, provides supplementary cultural context by examining the lives, problems, thoughts, and feelings of the common Russian people throughout this era. Despite its length, it's a worthwhile audio course for those interested in an understandable surface-level overview of Russian history.
February 5, 2018
Amazing course! Does what it says on the tin - Peter the Great to Gorbachev, and everything in between. Of course with so much breadth, there can only be so much depth (WWII flies by in 15 minutes), but Steinberg does a fantastic job of pointing out the long arcs and repeating patterns that span Russian history. Now that I've had the general survey, I look forward to diving in more deeply to specific areas in the future.
January 15, 2018
I just wish there had been more on Napoleon's invasion of Russia. We barely get to hear about the disaster it was and the burning of Moscow.
May 30, 2019
Compared to some other Great Courses histories, you’ll find a heavier emphasis on the intellectual history of the country and more time spent on its great thinkers, but to fit it in Steinberg omits coverage of art (other than literature), family life, food traditions, and any detail about the religion.
There’s a lot of deep material here to think about, and Steinberg holds it all together by relating it to various themes, such as the tension between the ideal of the mighty tsar and the ideal of the gentle tsar, or the persistent Russian values of autocracy, orthodoxy and nationalism. He picks out interesting quotes from historical figures, such as one by Pobedonostsev, advisor to three of the last czars, who claimed that although the autocratic system was imperfect, every other conceivable political system was worse. This strikes me as a dark mirror of the famous quote that democracy is the worst form of government except all the other forms that have been tried.
Or reflect on as you smile at Lenin’s contempt for Marxists who “gaze with awe at the posterior of the proletariat” instead of getting out in front of them and leading them -- which again seems to hark back to Russia’s long autocratic tradition.
Billed as “from Peter the Great to Gorbachev”, but rushes through more than half this period in less than a third of the course. Napoleon’s invasion and the wars with Sweden are covered only very briefly.
There’s a lot of deep material here to think about, and Steinberg holds it all together by relating it to various themes, such as the tension between the ideal of the mighty tsar and the ideal of the gentle tsar, or the persistent Russian values of autocracy, orthodoxy and nationalism. He picks out interesting quotes from historical figures, such as one by Pobedonostsev, advisor to three of the last czars, who claimed that although the autocratic system was imperfect, every other conceivable political system was worse. This strikes me as a dark mirror of the famous quote that democracy is the worst form of government except all the other forms that have been tried.
Or reflect on as you smile at Lenin’s contempt for Marxists who “gaze with awe at the posterior of the proletariat” instead of getting out in front of them and leading them -- which again seems to hark back to Russia’s long autocratic tradition.
Billed as “from Peter the Great to Gorbachev”, but rushes through more than half this period in less than a third of the course. Napoleon’s invasion and the wars with Sweden are covered only very briefly.
January 8, 2025
Does a great job embellishing dense history with small personal stories of individuals (some leaders some peasants), which makes it a lot more approachable. Steinberg also makes a point to trace the ideas and feelings of the general population through time, not just the hard events and leaders. Finally, when he does discuss prominent individuals, he tries to understand them on their own terms.
November 14, 2017
Informative but feels like a very broad overview of Russian history which, based on the breadth of the subject, is to be expected. Still, it rushes through particular periods - the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, for example, remarkably fast.
June 21, 2021
This course gave attention to a number of aspects of Russian life and thinking which would not feature prominently in typical histories, but in so doing it also seemed to skim over many important events. It would make a nice supplement to a more traditional approach to Russia's history.
September 17, 2022
Steinberg is a Russian history boss but the lectures are just a little bland, less exciting than his books.
July 19, 2022
I've always been fascinated with, but quite daunted by, Russian history. Many years ago I read a biographical account of the life of Peter the Great. The book was a tome and I can't believe I was able to make it all the way through. But it gave me the courage to delve into Russian history from other sources.
This series of lectures comes from "The Great Courses", which I highly recommend as a source of innumerable expertly presented courses on just about any subject.
Granted, this particular series does not go terribly in depth with each Russian/Soviet leader, but it does whet one's appetite to search out more information on each of them.
This series of lectures comes from "The Great Courses", which I highly recommend as a source of innumerable expertly presented courses on just about any subject.
Granted, this particular series does not go terribly in depth with each Russian/Soviet leader, but it does whet one's appetite to search out more information on each of them.
August 30, 2017
Due to inadequacies in my own education Russian Politics and History has always been imprinted as some sort of caricature of exaggerations and vain madness. So it was quite timely welcome to add some mature opinion through this series; as it is basically information I have been keen on around this time, I believe I am not in a good position to comment on the narration or exactitude of the lectures in relation to the history per se. I listened through the series travelling around in Russia and found it easy to follow through. It laid a good 'in a nutshell' sort of packaged history that you may want to explore in more detail.
Recommended for people wanting to get acquainted with Russian History in a single crash overview.
Recommended for people wanting to get acquainted with Russian History in a single crash overview.
July 13, 2023
Great overview of a fascinating and enigmatic part of the world. I have always been interested in Russian history and this lecture series ties together some of the disparate elements I’ve studied over the years. Also helpful for understanding Russia’s proclivity for authoritarian rule, and Putin’s place amongst the Tsars and General Secretaries.
Read in part to prepare for upcoming teaching topic in AS/A2 history class.
Read in part to prepare for upcoming teaching topic in AS/A2 history class.
March 6, 2014
home audio - okay for rookies but totally infuriating for those who thought they were going to get a scholarly rendition.
Taught by Mark Steinberg
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley
TTC Course Lecture Titles
05-01 Social Rebellion - The Purgachev Uprising
06-01 Moral Rebellion - Nikolai Novikov
07-01 Alexander I - Imagining Reform
08-01 The Decembrist Rebellion
09-01 Nicholas I - Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality
10-01 Alexander Pushkin, Russia's National Poet
11-01 The Birth of the Intelligentsia
12-01 Westernizers - Vissarion Belinskii
13-01 Alexander II and the Great Reforms
14-01 "Nihilists"
15-01 Populists and Marxists
16-01 Paths to Revolution - Lenin and Martov
17-01 Lev Tolstoy
18-01 The Reign of Alexander III
19-01 Nicholas II, The Last Tsar
20-01 The Revolution of 1905
21-01 Peasant Life and Culture
22-01 The Modern City and Its Discontents
23-01 Fin-de-Siecle Culture - Decadence and Iconoclasm
24-01 Fin-de-Siecle Culture - The Religious Renaissance
25-01 War and Revolution
26-01 Democratic Russia - 1917
27-01 Bolsheviks in Power
28-01 Civil War
29-01 Paths to Socialism - the 1920s
30-01 Joseph Stalin
31-01 Stalin's Revolution
32-01 Joy and Terror - Society and Culture in the 1930s
33-01 The "Great Patriotic War"
34-01 The Soviet Union After Stalin
35-01 Private and Public Dissidence
36-01 Mikhail Gorbachev - Perestroika and Glasnost
Taught by Mark Steinberg
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley
TTC Course Lecture Titles
05-01 Social Rebellion - The Purgachev Uprising
06-01 Moral Rebellion - Nikolai Novikov
07-01 Alexander I - Imagining Reform
08-01 The Decembrist Rebellion
09-01 Nicholas I - Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality
10-01 Alexander Pushkin, Russia's National Poet
11-01 The Birth of the Intelligentsia
12-01 Westernizers - Vissarion Belinskii
13-01 Alexander II and the Great Reforms
14-01 "Nihilists"
15-01 Populists and Marxists
16-01 Paths to Revolution - Lenin and Martov
17-01 Lev Tolstoy
18-01 The Reign of Alexander III
19-01 Nicholas II, The Last Tsar
20-01 The Revolution of 1905
21-01 Peasant Life and Culture
22-01 The Modern City and Its Discontents
23-01 Fin-de-Siecle Culture - Decadence and Iconoclasm
24-01 Fin-de-Siecle Culture - The Religious Renaissance
25-01 War and Revolution
26-01 Democratic Russia - 1917
27-01 Bolsheviks in Power
28-01 Civil War
29-01 Paths to Socialism - the 1920s
30-01 Joseph Stalin
31-01 Stalin's Revolution
32-01 Joy and Terror - Society and Culture in the 1930s
33-01 The "Great Patriotic War"
34-01 The Soviet Union After Stalin
35-01 Private and Public Dissidence
36-01 Mikhail Gorbachev - Perestroika and Glasnost
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2019
An interesting book, but calling it a history of Russia is a bit of a stretch. This is a history of culture and political views in Russia, but not a history of the country as a whole. The author is happy to talk for hours about a particular philosophical idea in Russia's history, but is clearly uncomfortable or simply uninterested in any aspect of geography, geopolitics, relations with neighbours, war, or any of the other aspects that form the history of a country. The multitude of wars with the Ottoman empire is only mentioned as "the Ottomans, whom Russia was fighting all the time, did this and that". The wars and interactions with any of its other neighbours are completely ignored. WW2 is the only one where some detail is provided, though not much. The war if Afghanistan, which was an important part of modern Russian history, is mentioned in one sentence, only in the context of listing things that made people unhappy at the time.
Throughout the book I never get any sense of understanding Russia's place in the world, its borders or its conquers back in the imperial days. From this point of view it is a massive disappointment.
Throughout the book I never get any sense of understanding Russia's place in the world, its borders or its conquers back in the imperial days. From this point of view it is a massive disappointment.
December 15, 2020
A History of Russia is a series of lectures in the Great Courses Series by Mark Steinberg that addresses the social and political shifts in Russia from the time of Peter the Great to the fall of the Soviet Union. Two common themes throughout the book are (1) the Russian's love-hate and dysfuctional relationship with autocracy no matter what government system is in place, and (2) the deep seated desire of the Russians to be viewed as peers of Europe, driving them both to reform and to more radical forms of governance.
Russia's modern age begins with the reign of Peter the Great in the late 17th century. The European perception of Russia is captured by the English stereotype of them : "The country is too colde, the people beastly be". As Russia became more involved with the European powers, Russia became aware of this poor perception as well. A large portion of the noble class in Russia adopted more European customs and started to throw off old Russian conventions. No man more exemplified this trend than Peter the Great. Peter the Great ushered in a new era of reform and increasing connection to Europe.
The Russian government from Peter to Nicholas II (the last Tsar) is marked by great ideas and a rhetorical desire to give serfs freedom and to give the common person more power, but it is overshadowed by the imperial designs on power and its inflexibility. The prior 70 years before the Russian Revolution, the country had been wracked by protests and counter government movements, but most inevitably met the sword administered by the Tsar. Russia had grown into a powerful autocracy with a strong noble class, but one that kept the serfs and lower classes in check and exploited.
Leo Tolstoy seeded the philosophical and spiritual foundations of the 20th century Russian spirit during this turbulent 19th century. Starting off as a traditional church and military man faithful to the Orthodox, he became disillusioned with the military and spiritual trappings of Russia, taking an extreme vow of poverty and swearing off any ownership and capitalist leanings. Tolstoy also became increasingly critical of the Orthodox Church which culminated in them excommunicating him later in his life. His disillusionment with the traditional Russia and embrace of anarchy and anti-establishment norms paved the way for the Russians to become more comfortable embracing radical ideas.
In a way, the rise of Communism represents an attempt by the Russians to live out the Tolstoy ideal on a collective stage. The Russian Revolution of 1905 was hopeful in that it swung more democratic. Unfortunately, the Tsarist regime sabotaged the new Duma and Russian attempts at a more representative democracy. This sabotage destabilized relations with the lower classes and in the next ten years, the Tsar became increasingly isolated and autocratic, still holding to his Divine Right even in the 20th century.
Unfortunately, World War I broke out amidst this hotbed of anarchistic fervor. The initial years of WWI were marked by victories and a rise of patriotic feeling which appeared to unify the Russian people. But the gruesome trench warfare of the era and the increased distance of the Tsar smashed any collective patriotism and disillusionment set in during 1915-1916. The rise of the Bolsheviks during this time of crisis still seems impossible even a century later.
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, leveraged large anti-war fervor combined with radical reform minded peasant and soldier classes to power in October 2017. Starting as a workers protest in St. Petersburg, the Bolsheviks took over the Winter Palace and starting acting as the governors. At really no point since their inception in 1912 did the Bolsheviks have majority support, but they effectively bluffed that they had the support of the workers and soldiers. The majority of the government did not follow the Bolsheviks so the Russian Civil War commenced from 1917 to 1922. Russian support of the Northern workers and soldiers effectively overcame the more rural and less united South.
Once the Bolsheviks were in power, they really never gave it up. The first 10 years of Bolshevism very much reads like an academic dream of upheaval of social norms and experimentation with different ways of collectivism. With the death of Lenin, Stalin carefully took control of the machinations of the Bolsheviks and Russia's desire for anarchy conflicted with the need for order. Consequently by the end of the 1920's, we start to see the rise of the tyrannical Soviet Union that lived up to its historical stereotypes.
Once the Bolsheviks were firmly entrenched, they were free to leverage collectivism in any way they wished. It is interesting to note there were major failures of socialism throughout its history that most academics don't really want to acknowledge. Early on in the 1920s, the peasants collectively revolted against the Bolsheviks and even killed all their livestock as they were forced into collective farms. The Bolsheviks had to reinstitute local ownership to even get food moving into the cities. A similar thing started to happen in the 80s and 90s. This type of leverage of capitalistic principles is inherent in Chinese Communism as well. So even in our Soviet Union, you don't see pure collectivism leveraged in an idealogical sense. The 'heyday' of socialism/communism was found in the 50s and 60s as the Soviets saw great economic expansion and even expanded wages. But the centralized state planning could not last and corruption and lack of motivation sapped growth as the Soviets came into the 1980s.
We leave the story at Mikhail Gorbachev. He is very much admired as a hero in every place except Russia. He declined to prosecute wars as Russian satellites desired independence and he also decentralized economic planning to increase growth. After the communist party prosecuted a coup, the Soviet Union collapsed. The Soviet Union is a monument to both the stark evil man can prosecute against a people, but it also represents the bold spirit of the Russian people... never really satisfied with status quo.
Russia's modern age begins with the reign of Peter the Great in the late 17th century. The European perception of Russia is captured by the English stereotype of them : "The country is too colde, the people beastly be". As Russia became more involved with the European powers, Russia became aware of this poor perception as well. A large portion of the noble class in Russia adopted more European customs and started to throw off old Russian conventions. No man more exemplified this trend than Peter the Great. Peter the Great ushered in a new era of reform and increasing connection to Europe.
The Russian government from Peter to Nicholas II (the last Tsar) is marked by great ideas and a rhetorical desire to give serfs freedom and to give the common person more power, but it is overshadowed by the imperial designs on power and its inflexibility. The prior 70 years before the Russian Revolution, the country had been wracked by protests and counter government movements, but most inevitably met the sword administered by the Tsar. Russia had grown into a powerful autocracy with a strong noble class, but one that kept the serfs and lower classes in check and exploited.
Leo Tolstoy seeded the philosophical and spiritual foundations of the 20th century Russian spirit during this turbulent 19th century. Starting off as a traditional church and military man faithful to the Orthodox, he became disillusioned with the military and spiritual trappings of Russia, taking an extreme vow of poverty and swearing off any ownership and capitalist leanings. Tolstoy also became increasingly critical of the Orthodox Church which culminated in them excommunicating him later in his life. His disillusionment with the traditional Russia and embrace of anarchy and anti-establishment norms paved the way for the Russians to become more comfortable embracing radical ideas.
In a way, the rise of Communism represents an attempt by the Russians to live out the Tolstoy ideal on a collective stage. The Russian Revolution of 1905 was hopeful in that it swung more democratic. Unfortunately, the Tsarist regime sabotaged the new Duma and Russian attempts at a more representative democracy. This sabotage destabilized relations with the lower classes and in the next ten years, the Tsar became increasingly isolated and autocratic, still holding to his Divine Right even in the 20th century.
Unfortunately, World War I broke out amidst this hotbed of anarchistic fervor. The initial years of WWI were marked by victories and a rise of patriotic feeling which appeared to unify the Russian people. But the gruesome trench warfare of the era and the increased distance of the Tsar smashed any collective patriotism and disillusionment set in during 1915-1916. The rise of the Bolsheviks during this time of crisis still seems impossible even a century later.
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, leveraged large anti-war fervor combined with radical reform minded peasant and soldier classes to power in October 2017. Starting as a workers protest in St. Petersburg, the Bolsheviks took over the Winter Palace and starting acting as the governors. At really no point since their inception in 1912 did the Bolsheviks have majority support, but they effectively bluffed that they had the support of the workers and soldiers. The majority of the government did not follow the Bolsheviks so the Russian Civil War commenced from 1917 to 1922. Russian support of the Northern workers and soldiers effectively overcame the more rural and less united South.
Once the Bolsheviks were in power, they really never gave it up. The first 10 years of Bolshevism very much reads like an academic dream of upheaval of social norms and experimentation with different ways of collectivism. With the death of Lenin, Stalin carefully took control of the machinations of the Bolsheviks and Russia's desire for anarchy conflicted with the need for order. Consequently by the end of the 1920's, we start to see the rise of the tyrannical Soviet Union that lived up to its historical stereotypes.
Once the Bolsheviks were firmly entrenched, they were free to leverage collectivism in any way they wished. It is interesting to note there were major failures of socialism throughout its history that most academics don't really want to acknowledge. Early on in the 1920s, the peasants collectively revolted against the Bolsheviks and even killed all their livestock as they were forced into collective farms. The Bolsheviks had to reinstitute local ownership to even get food moving into the cities. A similar thing started to happen in the 80s and 90s. This type of leverage of capitalistic principles is inherent in Chinese Communism as well. So even in our Soviet Union, you don't see pure collectivism leveraged in an idealogical sense. The 'heyday' of socialism/communism was found in the 50s and 60s as the Soviets saw great economic expansion and even expanded wages. But the centralized state planning could not last and corruption and lack of motivation sapped growth as the Soviets came into the 1980s.
We leave the story at Mikhail Gorbachev. He is very much admired as a hero in every place except Russia. He declined to prosecute wars as Russian satellites desired independence and he also decentralized economic planning to increase growth. After the communist party prosecuted a coup, the Soviet Union collapsed. The Soviet Union is a monument to both the stark evil man can prosecute against a people, but it also represents the bold spirit of the Russian people... never really satisfied with status quo.
September 5, 2016
This is a series of 36 half hour lectures and it felt like I was attending an evening adult non-credit class. The lecturer, Mark Steinberg, was excellent, well organized and totally professional. I knew so little about Russia that the information simply poured into my little pea-brain - I wonder how much I remember. There was a nice mix of political history and social history - Steinberg gives good examples and reads passages from literature and letters and documents
The information on the revolution and the times lead into that period was particularly interesting for me, since I have read a number of novels set during the revolution. I have also read a number of books - nonfiction this time - set during the Stalin era, especially the later 1930's, and never could understand the brutality. I still don't truly understand it but am certain that Stalin was crazy. I also enjoyed the lectures on Gorbachev - it is amazing how little we (or I) sometimes know about our own times!
I would be interested in other sets in this series.
The information on the revolution and the times lead into that period was particularly interesting for me, since I have read a number of novels set during the revolution. I have also read a number of books - nonfiction this time - set during the Stalin era, especially the later 1930's, and never could understand the brutality. I still don't truly understand it but am certain that Stalin was crazy. I also enjoyed the lectures on Gorbachev - it is amazing how little we (or I) sometimes know about our own times!
I would be interested in other sets in this series.
February 19, 2017
I knew very little about Russian history, and this was a great place for me to start. At first I was disappointed that it started a such a late date when compared to other history courses, but then it seemed to go so quickly and not spend enough time with each ruler and event. If it had tried to start earlier, it would have been even faster paced. Since I knew so little to begin with, just going over the main points was really what I needed. For more detail, I should go to a more specific course, but this was great for an overall course.
The instructor was a great narrator with an easy to listen to style and inflection. Everything seemed really interesting when he was talking about it, and I always looked forward to my time to listen to my daily lesson.
The instructor was a great narrator with an easy to listen to style and inflection. Everything seemed really interesting when he was talking about it, and I always looked forward to my time to listen to my daily lesson.
March 15, 2022
Remarkable series of 36 lectures starting with Peter the Great and ending with Gorbachev losing the reins of power in a Communist coup. Professor Mark Steinberg is uniquely qualified for this subject, having studied in the Soviet Union during the 1980s witnessing firsthand some of the events this lecture series describes. He learned to speak & read Russian allowing unencumbered by language access to Russian archives to read and study historical accounts of this period.
Professor Mark Steinberg's enthusiastic manner makes listening easy on the ear. His general theme unsurprisingly is that of analyzing the attitudes, lifestyles, and actions of common people, intelligentsia, aristocracy, of each regime thru these tumultuous periods. He does not dwell on specific keystone events during periods such as the Bolshevic Revolution, rather dives deep into the thoughts, writings, speeches, desires, demands, and ideals of the participants at all levels of society on all sides of the political spectrum and conflict issues.
As a longtime reader of Military History I found this approach to history novel in my experience giving me a clearer understanding of the "why's" these events occurred and the motivations of the participants. In this respect, I give this lecture series a five (5) star rating.
The reader who might expect more than one lecture on Stalin's World War 2 period based on the enormity of the military struggle, will find little on this subject, rather supplemented by deep insights into how common people thought going into the war, during and their hopes & desires coming out of the war. In my view, this is the strength of this lecture series, as there are plenty of other good sources in great detail describing the various war & conflict periods throughout Russian History.
Professor Mark Steinberg's steady view on Russia's culture, changing political dynamics, and its effects on society is a particularly insightful way to look back into history and discover the motivations that drove these events. As I write this review today another Russian Regime is playing out with the invasion of Ukraine. The young Russian soldiers invading Ukraine and those defending their freedom in Ukraine share a common historical heritage, both experiencing that history in different ways. This lecture series certainly sheds light on where both party's motivations lay.
History indeed repeats itself, after hearing these lectures, I am not surprised at Putin's motivation to continue the legacy of Russian Imperialism and the Ukrainian people's historical fight for freedom. The long history of Russian Imperialistic tragedies, and the neverending desire for Russian peoples and their subjugated satellite's desires and dreams for individual freedom, I judge that, let Freedom Rein. Victory to Ukraine.
Professor Mark Steinberg's enthusiastic manner makes listening easy on the ear. His general theme unsurprisingly is that of analyzing the attitudes, lifestyles, and actions of common people, intelligentsia, aristocracy, of each regime thru these tumultuous periods. He does not dwell on specific keystone events during periods such as the Bolshevic Revolution, rather dives deep into the thoughts, writings, speeches, desires, demands, and ideals of the participants at all levels of society on all sides of the political spectrum and conflict issues.
As a longtime reader of Military History I found this approach to history novel in my experience giving me a clearer understanding of the "why's" these events occurred and the motivations of the participants. In this respect, I give this lecture series a five (5) star rating.
The reader who might expect more than one lecture on Stalin's World War 2 period based on the enormity of the military struggle, will find little on this subject, rather supplemented by deep insights into how common people thought going into the war, during and their hopes & desires coming out of the war. In my view, this is the strength of this lecture series, as there are plenty of other good sources in great detail describing the various war & conflict periods throughout Russian History.
Professor Mark Steinberg's steady view on Russia's culture, changing political dynamics, and its effects on society is a particularly insightful way to look back into history and discover the motivations that drove these events. As I write this review today another Russian Regime is playing out with the invasion of Ukraine. The young Russian soldiers invading Ukraine and those defending their freedom in Ukraine share a common historical heritage, both experiencing that history in different ways. This lecture series certainly sheds light on where both party's motivations lay.
History indeed repeats itself, after hearing these lectures, I am not surprised at Putin's motivation to continue the legacy of Russian Imperialism and the Ukrainian people's historical fight for freedom. The long history of Russian Imperialistic tragedies, and the neverending desire for Russian peoples and their subjugated satellite's desires and dreams for individual freedom, I judge that, let Freedom Rein. Victory to Ukraine.
October 26, 2018
It could have been more objective in some chapters
When I started this course, I had already listened to, and finished, 6 Great Courses. So I had something to compare to. I have to say that I found this one slightly frustrating because the author emphasizes too much in philosophical, cultural and small details of the day lives of Russians. Please don't get me wrong, I found very interesting to learn those things, but I think the Professor spends too much time on them with almost emotional opinions related to some events. Those comments gave me the impression that the course may be not as object and impersonal as the other courses I took.
Besides I have to agree with other reviewers when they said they have missed more information about major events. Ok, it is impossible to cover more than 200 years of a huge nation like Russia, but I have also missed some details as well, especially in the twenty century.
The strongest positive aspect (very well explained, by the way) is the clash between the Slavs culture (mixed with others) versus the European culture and values. This is actually an ongoing ‘battle’. It has started during the Tsar era (Peter the Great has played the great big push towards Europe, and in this sense, he can also be considered the one who has started this quarrel). A recent book, “The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin” (also available in the Audible system), shows how the clash is still alive today. By not understanding the reasons for this clash, it is not possible to fully acknowledge why Russia is so unique and has attracted so many suspicions from European countries through history.
Finally, I would recommend the course only calling the attention that it may frustrate some of the listeners who are expecting more emphasis in big historic events in comparison to the historical developments and evolution of this great nation and people.
When I started this course, I had already listened to, and finished, 6 Great Courses. So I had something to compare to. I have to say that I found this one slightly frustrating because the author emphasizes too much in philosophical, cultural and small details of the day lives of Russians. Please don't get me wrong, I found very interesting to learn those things, but I think the Professor spends too much time on them with almost emotional opinions related to some events. Those comments gave me the impression that the course may be not as object and impersonal as the other courses I took.
Besides I have to agree with other reviewers when they said they have missed more information about major events. Ok, it is impossible to cover more than 200 years of a huge nation like Russia, but I have also missed some details as well, especially in the twenty century.
The strongest positive aspect (very well explained, by the way) is the clash between the Slavs culture (mixed with others) versus the European culture and values. This is actually an ongoing ‘battle’. It has started during the Tsar era (Peter the Great has played the great big push towards Europe, and in this sense, he can also be considered the one who has started this quarrel). A recent book, “The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin” (also available in the Audible system), shows how the clash is still alive today. By not understanding the reasons for this clash, it is not possible to fully acknowledge why Russia is so unique and has attracted so many suspicions from European countries through history.
Finally, I would recommend the course only calling the attention that it may frustrate some of the listeners who are expecting more emphasis in big historic events in comparison to the historical developments and evolution of this great nation and people.
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March 30, 2022Since I didn't know anything about Russian history before I listened to this course, I'd consider this a good 101-level introduction. I left with an overview of the major events and cultural movements in the past three centuries. Now I would like to learn about the formation of Russia in earlier times, and a deeper dive into the politics of the 20th century.
I didn't give this five stars because of two problems.
1) use of the word "backward" to describe everything from education, agriculture and gender relations, to literacy, religion and politics. Not only is it a rude word, it's also uninformative and vague. There are so many other adjectives; in fact, I made a list:
Patriarchal
Sexist
Superstitious
Rudimentary
Unindustrialized
Autocratic
Old-fashioned
Traditional
Conservative
Close-minded
Narrow-minded
Inflexible
Hierarchical
Classist
Distrustful
Suspicious
Uneducated
Illiterate
Insular
Isolated
2) Lots of different definitions of "communism" were clearly at play in the 20th century in Russia and the prof did not elaborate on defining what the word meant when used by different people. For example, Stalin defamed Trotsky by calling him a capitalist, and Stalin also installed a class system that rewarded upper-ranking individuals with greater access to material goods--of course that doesn't mean that the economic policies of the country weren't communist, but it's a word that carries implications beyond the economy when you are weaponising it against political adversaries, and that's what I would like to learn about.
I didn't give this five stars because of two problems.
1) use of the word "backward" to describe everything from education, agriculture and gender relations, to literacy, religion and politics. Not only is it a rude word, it's also uninformative and vague. There are so many other adjectives; in fact, I made a list:
Patriarchal
Sexist
Superstitious
Rudimentary
Unindustrialized
Autocratic
Old-fashioned
Traditional
Conservative
Close-minded
Narrow-minded
Inflexible
Hierarchical
Classist
Distrustful
Suspicious
Uneducated
Illiterate
Insular
Isolated
2) Lots of different definitions of "communism" were clearly at play in the 20th century in Russia and the prof did not elaborate on defining what the word meant when used by different people. For example, Stalin defamed Trotsky by calling him a capitalist, and Stalin also installed a class system that rewarded upper-ranking individuals with greater access to material goods--of course that doesn't mean that the economic policies of the country weren't communist, but it's a word that carries implications beyond the economy when you are weaponising it against political adversaries, and that's what I would like to learn about.
March 3, 2020
The history of Russia is so massively complicated that even in this lecture series - taught by a veritable expert on the field - felt as though it was only scratching the surface on the topic. It's a fairly decent introduction to modern Russian history, if such is what you're interested in, but I'd say this lecture series was geared a little more towards those who already possess some prior knowledge on the subject. I went into it entirely ignorant of everything Russia, so the enormity of information I was given was overwhelming and wasn't presented in a coherent enough way as to help me really get my footing on the topic, but it was a start. I don't know what other sources on Russian history are like, but based on what I now know of Russia, finding a fully coherent and comprehensive one outside of Professor Steinberg's work would be near impossible. There is simply so much of Russia, most of the information we have only having been made available in recent years, so I hesitate to judge this particular source too harshly. It wasn't as illuminating as I hoped it would be, and there were sections that I'm not sure I entirely understood, but it was still a fairly useful source to supplement my learning in my Russian history course at school.
November 1, 2022
Well only a scratching of the surface, but illuminating all the same.
"Funny" that last but one Tsar was evolving the situation out of an autocratic situation when blown up!
The timidy of the SR and the "rightful" illegal steps by Lenin; close down .
The red and white terror during the war; wish the green army had won.
Trotsky belief in guillotine not prison!
Initially amazing to see rights; especially womans, moved up agenda inclidung peasants getting land.
Closure of the Constituent Assembly
Stalin the snake seizes power; Trotdky and Bukharin stabbed in the back , land stolen back and rights go out the window, freedom of speech gone.
Do wonder where Bukharin would have taken Russia.
Trickle down dictatorship "implimented"!
Stalin's great purge.
Psychopaths make good war leaders; worked for Germany; to an extent, England and Russia.
"Perks" rather than "killings??
The doctors purge not extended because Stalin died!
I am a simple soul so not much communism in all this to me, a dictatorship by any other name etc....
Some insights as to KNVD from Beevor's WWII helped whilst lstening to this.
Being a peasant, alas, all above my feeble intellect!
PS Senility beckons so take this into account! 😂
"Funny" that last but one Tsar was evolving the situation out of an autocratic situation when blown up!
The timidy of the SR and the "rightful" illegal steps by Lenin; close down .
The red and white terror during the war; wish the green army had won.
Trotsky belief in guillotine not prison!
Initially amazing to see rights; especially womans, moved up agenda inclidung peasants getting land.
Closure of the Constituent Assembly
Stalin the snake seizes power; Trotdky and Bukharin stabbed in the back , land stolen back and rights go out the window, freedom of speech gone.
Do wonder where Bukharin would have taken Russia.
Trickle down dictatorship "implimented"!
Stalin's great purge.
Psychopaths make good war leaders; worked for Germany; to an extent, England and Russia.
"Perks" rather than "killings??
The doctors purge not extended because Stalin died!
I am a simple soul so not much communism in all this to me, a dictatorship by any other name etc....
Some insights as to KNVD from Beevor's WWII helped whilst lstening to this.
Being a peasant, alas, all above my feeble intellect!
PS Senility beckons so take this into account! 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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