Books about History of Ukraine, Russia, FSU, etc?

[Photo Guy]

Can you recommend any good books? Thanks!

[Larry1]

Can you recommend any good books? Thanks!

For most readers I recommend Martin Sixsmith's short history of Russia. I wrote a thread about it here:

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=15361.msg389653#msg389653

The book is only about 530 pages. For a history book it's a quick read. The author was a longtime BBC reporter in Russia. He writes more like a journalist than a historian.  But that means that his book is more readable than the typical denser books written by historians.

It's hard to cover a thousand years of Russian history in only 530 pages. He gives short shrift to Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. He devotes many more pages to 20th century Russian history.

[2tallbill]

Can you recommend any good books? Thanks!

I've read several books

These first two I don't recommend because they are so incredibly dry, like the
worst University textbook. It takes an incredible effort to read them. I did it
but I don't recommend it.

Ukraine A History by Orest Subtelny
http://www.amazon.com/Ukraine-A-History-Orest-Subtelny/dp/1442609915

A History of Ukraine (A History of East Central Europe (HECE))
Paperback – June 1, 1995
by Paul Robert Magocsi
http://www.amazon.com/History-Ukraine-East-Central-Europe/dp/0802078206


I do highly recommend Russka and Poland (see links below) they are written
like a novel with fictitious families along with real historic figures as they live
their lives through a long period of time. They are very enjoyable to read and
you will learn a wealth of information as well. You can find them on Amazon in
paperback or you can probably order them at your local library.

Russka: The Novel of Russia
by Edward Rutherfurd paperback $12.99
http://www.amazon.com/Russka-Novel-Russia-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0345479351

I also highly recommend
Poland
by James Michener paperback $7.09
http://www.amazon.com/Poland-Novel-James-A-Michener/dp/0449205878
One thing about Michener is that he usually put about 40 pages of his bonehead
politics in every book, but he does only a little bit of it in Poland.


Udachi!


Bill

[Larry1]

I do highly recommend Russka and Poland (see links below) they are written
like a novel with fictitious families along with real historic figures as they live
their lives through a long period of time. They are very enjoyable to read and
you will learn a wealth of information as well. You can find them on Amazon in
paperback or you can probably order them at your local library.

Russka: The Novel of Russia
by Edward Rutherfurd paperback $12.99
http://www.amazon.com/Russka-Novel-Russia-Edward-Rutherfurd/dp/0345479351

I read Russka several years ago. It was an enjoyable read.

[Slumba]

There are two I would recommend, one is freely downloadable.  Both are quick reads.

First up is "The Russian Century" written in the late 90s by a British writer.  It will give you a decent overview of late Tsarist Russia through to the 90s when the USSR fell.   You basically pay 1 cent for the book and $3.99 for shipping from Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Century-History-Hundred-Years/dp/0679764364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438887257&sr=8-1&keywords=the+russian+century   

So, $4 gets you a fast reading overview of "what happened".

The free one, "A Short History of Russia" by Mary Platt Parmele, is interesting, though limited in that it was written before the 1917 Revolution.  It gives a more broad perspective than the Russian Century book, as it deals with 900 years of history.

LINK:  http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16930

[Larry1]

A new history of Ukraine is due to be out in December:

The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine
by
Serhii Plokhy

http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Europe-History-Ukraine/dp/0465050913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438037738&sr=8-1&keywords=gates+of+europe/marginalrevol-20

I've read Plokhy's "The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus". It's excellent, but it's an academic history book and thus it can be a dense read.

Hat tip: Tyler Cowen, blogging at http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/08/what-ive-been-reading-58.html

[jone]

Ukraine ----->  On the edge.

[jone]

I enjoyed Robert Service's "A History of Modern Russia".  I also had the chance to hear him speak at Oxford.  Pretty insightful into what is happening today.

[mendeleyev]

Here is a useful guide to modern books on Russia:

http://medium.com/@dominicbasulto/the-definitive-2015-summer-reading-list-for-kremlinologists-russia-watchers-and-western-foreign-bd92b71ecdd

[Muzh]

For those who like to read:


Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945
By Tony Judt


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143037757?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00



Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award
One of the New York Times' Ten Best Books of the Year


Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world's most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep readers through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change-all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. Both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy.

[mendeleyev]

Looks interesting. I am also interested in Timothy Snyder's book Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin.

[Larry1]

For those who don't know this already, Gary Kasparov was chess champion of the world. He now writes about Russia and the other countries that once made up the Soviet Union. Here is the title of his new book:

Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped

Unfortunately, Putin, like other modern autocrats, had, and still has, an advantage the Soviet leadership could never have dreamed of: deep economic and political engagement with the free world.  Decades of trade have created tremendous wealth that dictatorships like Russia and China have used to build sophisticated authoritarian infrastructures inside the country and to apply pressure in foreign policy.  The naive idea was that the free world would use economic and social ties to gradually liberalize authoritarian states.  in practice, the authoritarian states have abused this access and economic interdependency to spread their corruption and fuel repression at home.

And this:

It is no coincidence that right-wing autocracies have a much better track record of emerging from political repression and achieving democratic and economic success.  Chile, Portugal, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan — their regimes were about power for the sake of power, without a deeper ideology.  When their regimes fell, with elections in most cases, the roots, the human values of individual freedom, were still healthy enough to flourish.

It is easy enough to criticize Kasparov for being “too hawkish,” but the reality is that virtually all of his earlier predictions about Putin and Russia have come true, including ones which I have heard but he may not have published directly.

Hat tip to Tyler Cowen, blogging at http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/10/winter-is-coming.html