The Story of Russia

“The Story of Russia” by Orlando Figes has a wealth of information about Russian history and recognizes that it is more complex than most realize; for example, the book contains a lot of maps, and you will need them to describe the provinces at different points throughout history. But, as is the case with historical summaries like this, the author can either err on the side of being too accessible for history buffs or too detailed for the casual reader: Figes chooses the latter, and you will learn something. I am reasonably well-informed, but the 1500s are not my strong suit. Nevertheless, hearing about a period in which leaders and the clergy worked in unison, and tsars quoted the bible to rationalize their crimes was sobering. The sheer volume of religious conflicts and wars was shocking. In the 1600s, when the West began to acknowledge that Russia had power, many deaths occurred, leaving citizens to know nothing but that life. Russia had the unique position of affecting European and Asian life. As they attempted to expand materialistically, they embraced foreigners but banished Jews in the late 1700s, possibly changing the sentiments of Europe. When culture and religious wars heat up in the 1850s, Figes achieves the tricky balance of respecting the Russian viewpoint while still painting a picture of revolution and violence. If I were to judge public sentimentality by my social media feed, people are fascinated by the philosophy of Marxism but hate Communism. But, of course, you can do both and remain fascinated by the events that led to Lenin’s ascent to power. I had no idea that so many different groups opposed each other in the time of World War I and the Russian Revolution. Their methods of propaganda do not differ much from today’s. My biggest weakness when posting these on social media is obsessing over what my conservative and liberal friends will think. Fear not. Figes views Communism as a fast-rising phenomenon and goes into great detail as to how it failed. I am amazed by how much I did not know about Lenin and Stalin. If anything, it created empathy in me for the Russian people, as so many lived under poor leadership without any knowledge or capacity to fix it.

Over-all, this book was very good, but with some serious caveats. I've read a fair amount of Russian history over the years, but still managed to learn some new things in this relatively short book. The author is very knowledgeable, and has written a few other books on Russian history besides this one. What I did NOT like about the book: 1. The author is firmly planted in the western non-Slavic tradition of liberal democracy, with its childish bedrock assumption that all autocracy is inherently evil. This bias creates a perpetual frown of contempt and disapproval that seems to overshadow everyone and everything in the history he recounts in the book. By the time we reach the present, with Putin, the author's mask comes off, history-telling goes out the window, and the book becomes a political tirade. 2. The author strives to expose and debunk lies and myths that the Russian autocracy has used to support itself and subjugate others over the centuries. Great. But he too often throws the baby out with the bathwater; truth along with lies. ..all the while, no mention is ever made that the West obviously has its own lies and myths that need debunking and dismissing. All that said, if you're willing to do the hard work of constant mental filtering, this book was very informative and thought provoking, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a history book. Final result: recommended.

It is, in my view, impossible to provide a solid moral justification for Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine, but, with the help of Orlando Figes’ wonderfully told story of Russia, it’s at least possible to get a glimpse into Putin’s reasoning. Indeed, one problem that hampers ordinary observers like myself in understanding Russia is that much of the analysis provided on this side of the Atlantic suffers, according to Professor Figes, from “ahistoricism.” That is, “Contemporary Russian politics are too often [analyzed] without sufficient knowledge of Russian history.” Take, for example, the myth surrounding the Russian Kulikovo victory. Kulikovo, located near the river Don, is where Russia is perceived to have liberated itself from the Tartar infidels. More important, Putin, to this day, along with Russians generally, sees this as the first in a series of instances in which Russia made sacrifices ultimately “unrecognized” by its Western allies. The sacrifices Russia made to halt Napoleon (1812 – 1815) and then Hitler (1941 – 1945) are similarly ignored or not sufficiently appreciated in the West. Figes maintains that Russia’s “deep resentment of the West is rooted in this national myth.” To know where Russia is heading, Figes insists that “history and myth…should be reconsidered.” Given that, exactly where is Russia heading? What we learn from Figes’ story is that, in the 20th century, autocracy has emerged, like Phoenix from the ashes, each time Russia has approached democracy. Hence, the rise of Stalin, and then Putin – both heralded in Russia today as heroes for being strong leaders, and for attempting to restore the greatness that was the Russian empire. Figes’ final chapter, not surprisingly, is not entitled “The End,” or even “Conclusion.” Figes, instead, opts for “Ends,” and then presents a series of scenarios, any of which might characterize Russia’s future. This book merits a wide and intense reading. It is precisely the book we need to understand, though not justify, Russia’s current crusade against Ukraine. Read this book at the earliest.

The Story of Russia offers history as told by Russians, an explanation of Vladimir Putin within national history and the reason for the Ukraine War. Orlando Figes described continuities from the past that shape the present--empire, state power, autocracy and danger from the West are featured. Thus, Putin, as autocrat is the continuation of a tradition. Ukraine turning to the West is similarly the cause of the Ukraine War. The idea that Russia has allied with the East ( the Mongols and perhaps modern China) in opposition to the West is used by Figes as an example of history told by Russians. The concept of a Russian-Chinese alliance to center world power in a Eurasian bloc is thought provoking. Reasons why some Russians support the memory of the USSR and Stalin are described by Figes to remind us of how history may be interpreted by different people. Figes is a wonderfully talented historian, and this book is most timely....

Expert yet concise capsule history of Russia. Fascinating look at how Russia constructed its own mythology.

I agree with Figes' analysis of how myths have always influenced Russian history. He also accurately describes the influence of the Mongols and Orthodoxy in shaping Russia and how imperialism has guide Russian developments and outlook even under the Soviet period. I don't agree with Figes on how the Ukrainian war, Putin has already lost this war and will not long survive any ceasefire on the current contact line; although I believe Putin will not accept a ceasefire.

Fairly fast-moving history of Russia. Written in 2022 so it includes current events. I didn’t want to end up with an incredibly detailed textbook and that’s not what this book is. Good read.

While reading this book I couldn't stop seeing the similarities with Galeotti's A Short History of Russia: How the World's Largest Country Invented Itself, from the Pagans to Putin (2020). Figes' work was published in 2022, and it looked like a more comprehensive version of Galeotii's. Figes did make some intersting points in this book though.

Previously to this book I had only read 2 books on Russia: Peter the Great & Catherine the Great [not including many articles on the period from 1917 to 1953 with the death of Stalin]. Therefore, I didn't know its full history or more exactly close to nothing at all. Therefore, this book gave me the full time line with dates and historical facts from Russia's beginning up to Vladimir Putain today. It contains a lot of facts, dates and figures but is written in an easy to follow story kind of way that flows freely from one event to another. It exposes with delicacy the Russian ethos, spirituality and the people's strong ties to "mother Russia & the Tsar". I would say the book is equivalent to a College 102 level and will inspire you to reach out and fill in with other books on the parts of the story that you enjoyed; giving you a good framework to start with.

"Story of Russia" is a compelling journey throughout the ages and main events occurred in russian history, whose unfolding bears the utmost importance not only for the occurrence itself but for the significance they have been laden with by both the people and the ruling elites that alternated. The span of time runs from the early period of Kievan Rus to modern -day Russian Federation, obviously entailing the tsarist regime to the modern declination of "sovereign democracy" contrived by Putin (whose figure in more than one way, like he also calls himself, can be compared to a tsar). The main purpose of the author is to describe, along with historical events, how they became the landmarks of the russian mythology which, throughout the ages, shaped various and fundamental concepts that are vehemently brought about by the Putin's regime since the 2007 Munich speech and in the current days war propaganda. Some of these concepts are: the "holy tsar", "tsar as a holy father for the people", "autocracy as the only political way for Russia", "the third Rome", "Russia as saviour of Europe", "pan-slavism", "russian soul", "russian world", "selfless sacrifice of the russian people for the benefit of the State", "russian sacred mission to unite all the orthodox christianity", "the sacred mission of the russian empire", "disregard for the ungrateful West", "fear and mistrust for the evil and deceitful the West" and many others. I am not versed in russian history so I cannot assess the content thoroughly, yet I found it absolutely insightful and informative, along with an overwhelmingly catchy style of writing that kept me turning page after page as if I was reading a novel. In conclusion, I highly recommend reading this brief "excellent study" in russian history, in as much it sheds a light on the myths and mindset of a populace which, unfortunately, is either disregarded and misunderstood by quick asserters of it being "partners in crime" or swindled by its ruling elites.

Très bien écrit - Il est important de connaitre histoire et la riche culture de la Russie, nos voisin Européen directe, qui nous aide a mieux comprendre et a évaluer la situation géopolitique et la besoin de leur sécurité, de faciliter une analyse réaliste, pragmatique et d'éviter le plus possible une prise de position émotionnelle dans le conflit actuelle

"The Story Of Russia: 'An Excellent Short Study' " is exactly what you get. It doesn't get any better than this. I'm usually not happy with short histories, but this is different. Super quick read. Hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of it.

Wer sich fragt warum Russland so agiert der findet in diesem Buch die Begründung....