Russia

The Story of War

De: Gregory Carleton

Narrado por: James Cameron Stewart

No nation is a stranger to war, but for Russians war is a central part of who they are. Their "motherland" has been the battlefield where some of the largest armies have clashed, the most savage battles have been fought, the highest death tolls paid. Having prevailed over Mongol hordes and vanquished Napoleon and Hitler, many Russians believe no other nation has sacrificed so much for the world. In Russia: The Story of War, Gregory Carleton explores how this belief has produced a myth of exceptionalism that pervades Russian culture and politics and has helped forge a national identity rooted in war. While outsiders view Russia as an aggressor, Russians themselves see a country surrounded by enemies. Time and again history has called upon Russia to play the savior - of Europe, of Christianity, of civilization itself - and its victories have come at immense cost. In this telling, even defeats lose their sting. Isolation becomes a virtuous destiny and the whole of its bloody history a point of pride. War is the unifying thread of Russia's national epic, one that transcends its wrenching ideological transformations. As Putin's Russia asserts itself in ever bolder ways, knowing how the story of its war-torn past shapes the present is essential to understanding its self-image and worldview.

©2017 Gregory Carleton (P)2017 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Vividly written and clearly argued, Russia: The Story of War is scholarship at its best." (Stephen M. Norris, author of Blockbuster History in the New Russia)

A deep insight into Russia’s self narrative

The chapter on civil war is my favorite as we in the West can learn the most from Russia’s fear of instability

Very well written

A great read for understanding Russia. A Near Western Country with Western influence. Great history lessons.

Must Reading

Written after the Crimea/Dombas takeover, but before the current invasion of the rest of Ukraine, this scholarly work by an authority on the subject matter, gives us a coherent picture of how the majority of the Russian people have been conditioned to regard the rest of the world, the historical basis for that national outlook, and the stratagems employed by Putin and his predecessors, the Russian military, oligarchical elites, and the Russian Orthodox Church, to perpetuate this outlook. What the author portrays is a national sense of elitism and destiny to rule the world, martyrdom, and constant paranoia about imminent invasion from the "barbarian" western powers of Europe and America.

The modern Russian myth

The narrative seems a little haphazard but there are lots of useful insights into how many Russian patriots view the world. Spoiler: It is not a friendly place.

Stuffy Tangents: A Story of Russian Invasions

This book could have been cut in half, if not more. The summary is Russia has been invaded a bunch, that's why they are exceptionalist. End of story. The bulk of the book is quotes from books and poems, and other notations from pop culture of the era being described. If extravagant tangents are your jam, this book will be up your alley.