Across the Revolutionary Divide

Across the Revolutionary Divide: Russia and the USSR
1861-1945 offers a broad interpretive account of Russian
history from the emancipation of the serfs to the end of World War
II.

• Provides a coherent overview of Russia's development from 1861
  through to 1945

• Reflects the latest scholarship by taking a thematic approach
  to Russian history and bridging the 'revolutionary
  divide' of 1917

• Covers political, economic, cultural, and everyday life issues
  during a period of major changes in Russian history

• Addresses throughout the diversity of national groups,
  cultures, and religions in the Russian Empire and USSR

• Shows how the radical policies adopted after 1917 both changed
  Russia and perpetuated an economic and political rigidity that
  continues to influence modern society

Auteur
Theodore R. Weeks is Professor of History at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He is author of Nation and State in Late Imperial Russia (1996) and From Assimilation to Antisemitism: The Jewish Question in Poland, 1855 to 1914 (2006).

Texte du rabat
Across the Revolutionary Divide: Russia, 1861-1945 presents an ambitious interpretive account of Russian history from the abolition of serfdom by Alexander II to the end of World War II. By taking into account seven fundamental themes - Politics, Society, Nations, Modernization, Beliefs, World, and Culture - the author recounts the turbulent series of events, influences, reforms, and revolutions that transformed the vast country from a backward society into one of the world's two great "super-powers." At the same time we see how the great changes brought about by the Revolution of 1917 left the USSR with many of the same problems of the Tsarist era, including the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, and a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual population. The book also reveals how the radical policies adopted after the Bolshevik takeover both changed the face of Russia while perpetuating an economic and political rigidity whose effects continue into the twenty-first century.

With its unique thematic approach and careful balance of political, economic, and cultural issues, Across the Revolutionary Divide is a thought-provoking overview of one of the most fascinating periods of Russian history.

Résumé
Across the Revolutionary Divide: Russia and the USSR 1861-1945 offers a broad interpretive account of Russian history from the emancipation of the serfs to the end of World War II.

• Provides a coherent overview of Russia's development from 1861 through to 1945
• Reflects the latest scholarship by taking a thematic approach to Russian history and bridging the 'revolutionary divide' of 1917
• Covers political, economic, cultural, and everyday life issues during a period of major changes in Russian history
• Addresses throughout the diversity of national groups, cultures, and religions in the Russian Empire and USSR
• Shows how the radical policies adopted after 1917 both changed Russia and perpetuated an economic and political rigidity that continues to influence modern society

Contenu

Illustrations viii

Series Editor's Preface ix

Acknowledgments xii

Introduction 1

1. Politics 18

2. Society 53

3. Nations 87

4. Modernization 117

5. Belief 147

6. World 175

7. Culture 204

Conclusion 234

Timeline 248

Notes 252

Select Bibliography 269

Index 275