Extremely interesting, if outdated by the fall of the Soviet Union all that has happened in Russia since. It functions as a well-researched and illuminating study of the trends and power shifts in Russia over the centuries. Perhaps too objective, however-- some pogroms and atrocities are barely mentioned. The darker aspects of the different tsars, therefore, are left incompletely explored.
Overall, however, this was a good read-- if you can find it.
This is interesting. It was written in the 60's so I was a little dubious, what with it being written during the cold war and all. Yet so far I all is well.