Motherland: Russia in the Twentieth Century - Hardcover

Marples, David R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0582438349 ISBN 13: 9780582438347

Publisher: Routledge, 2002

Synopsis

Motherland tells the dramatic story of the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. From Lenin's virtual coup in November 1917 to Boris Yeltsin's ruthless takeover of power in 1991, the book culminates with a new view of the Yeltsin years.

David Marples focuses on the evolution of Russia during the Soviet period, and the attempt to harness Russian nationalism to the avowed Soviet mission of promoting World Communism. Along the way heanalyses some of the more intensive historical debates and uncovers some of the myths perpetuated by state propaganda, especially those associated with the Great Patriotic War.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Assessing the legacy of the USSR and the changes that have been wrought over the last decade, this is the most complete history to date of the rise and fall of a great superpower.

* 20th century Russia is a colorful and dynamic story from Lenin's Revolution, the murder of the Romanovs and Stalin's gulags through to perestroika and glasnost.
* Russia is still in confusing state of flux, politically and economically, and this book unravels the chaos
* Offers particularly strong and original sections on nationalism and ethnicity, focuses on psychological indoctrination and how a country can become a cult, and provides the background to the events that we saw and read about, like the Chechen War and Yeltsin turning back the tanks outside the Russian parliament.
Assessing the legacy of the USSR and the changes in the last decade, this is a history of the rise and fall of a great superpower. At the core is the overarching idea of the Motherland, which fused two passionately held beliefs and identities, the Soviet and the Russian society. Other key themes focus on the triumphs and the failures, New Soviet Man, and the contrasts between Moscow at the center and the rest of the sprawling empire, including the national problem. Set to become the most popular and debated book on twentieth-century Russia, it will completely change the way the Soviet Union is understood.

David Marples is Professor of History at the University of Alberta. He is the author of eight previous books on Russia and the Soviet Union and has a particular interest in the issue of nationalities. He served as a regular consultant on Soviet issues to the governments of Canada and the USA and is uniquely placed to write the definitive account of modern Russia.

About the Author:

David Marples is Professor of History at the University of Alberta. He is the author of eight previous books on Russia and the Soviet Union and has a particular interest in the issue of nationalities. He served as a regular consultant on Soviet issues to the governments of Canada and the USA and is uniquely placed to write the definitive account of modern Russia

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0582438349
• ISBN 13: 9780582438347
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320