A History of Russia: From Peter the Great to Gorbachev

By: Mark Steinberg, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Mark Steinberg

It's difficult to imagine a nation with a history more compelling for Americans than Russia. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, this was the nation against which we measured our own nation's values and power and with whom war, if it ever came, could spell unimaginable catastrophe for our planet.

Yet many Americans have never had the opportunity to study Russia in depth, and to see how the forces of history came together to shape a future so different from the dreams of most ordinary Russian people, eager to see their nation embrace Western values of progress, human rights, and justice.

Now a much-honored teacher has created a series of 36 lectures designed to give you one of the deepest glimpses into Russia you've ever had - a vivid journey through 300 years of Russian history as seen through the eyes of her own people. You'll discover historical themes made clear not by discussing treaties, war declarations, or economic statistics - but by examining the lives and ideas of the men and women who were Russia: tsars, emperors, Communist Party leaders, writers, artists, peasants, and factory workers.

You'll grasp what Russian life was like as Professor Steinberg analyzes ideas of power not only from the viewpoint of its rulers, but also from that of the ruled; the theme of happiness and its pursuit that resonates throughout Russian history, and ideas of morality and ethics as wielded by both the Russian state and its critics.

And you'll listen as he brings alive the vibrant Russian imagination - so willing to visualize a different kind of life for its people, yet so burdened by its darker sides of doubt and pessimism that those visions were rejected.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2003 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2003 The Great Courses

Worth Listening to in 2022 - If this Review is relevant for you, you’ll know it.

This series is a highly valuable historical artifact.

Explanations of the mindset motivating Soviet ideologues is presented clearly.

A history of earlier Russian thinkers you’ve never heard of are explored, and surprisingly point the way. The take-over by men who made their ideology a religion then a Crusade, with brutal authoritarian and totalitarian regime is slightly more explicable.

The case (without irony) is made that perhaps piles of murder victims are instrumental necessities,
exempt from moral judgement, when utopia is the goal.

Stop! Don’t pass on this.

These lectures work on two levels.
The first, a curated history of public intellectuals from Catherine the Great to Communism.
This is fine, so long as you keep in mind the (obvious) different ideas held by those (obviously) not mentioned.
And to be fair, the “mentioned” are worth knowing about, in terms of understanding 1917!

The second level, I was unprepared for:
Professor Steinberg is
a credulous apologist for
Soviet Communism.
No exaggeration, all of it.

Again, stop!
This is NOT a drawback.

It is insight.
Chilling, upsetting, and only safe consumed in small doses, sure
But fascinating.

Bet you didn’t know that with Lenin, Trotsky, Buchanan, Stalin, all of them, any member of the vanguard or “true-believer,”
turns out, everything they did has TWO possible interpretations?

Admit it, you want to hear THAT

Two options. Every time.
The Professor insists.
And explains!

One view (as you might expect) involves themes of coercion, oppression, extreme brutality and murderous violence.

“And that’s fine for what it is“
the Professor allows.
(And that’s . . . a direct quote)

However!
There IS another view. Deeper and more sophisticated, a second view, involving (as you might not see coming)
themes of undoubtedly sincere utopian impulses
and exuberant visions for society’s possibilities!

Either view may have motivated the revolutionaries.
Who can say?

Though some have strong opinions,
as between these views . . .

Gotta listen (while sitting out of reach of your device, please.
It’s expensive!)

If you can take it and commit,
the Professor is what makes
this series of so worthwhile and eye-opening.

Like me, I suspect you’ll conclude the Professor
is genuinely oblivious to the . . . absence, or gaps,
in basic moral perspective
throughout his enthusiastic and erudite presentation.

He IS very and happily aware of
“the contradictions”
implied by the actual facts of what I refer to above.

But as he is a Hegelian or
a neo-Kantian or I forget,
but in any case,
this causes him to
REVEL in the contradictions!

This is a bit unnerving yet he
does sound credulous,
in every case,
that there IS a contradiction.

Meaning, whoever we catch up with in mid-atrocity,
REALLY didn’t start out that way,
most likely.

Don’t laugh.
Have you never considered influences from intervening events? For example,
the Civil War exposed many
to … war-time realities?

Such as, the ability to:
- order people around
- “requisition” food, drink
and women across the land
- practice battlefield justice and
“summary judgement”
- engage in pointless (or
motivated) random brutality
without consequence

The Professor reckons it is
very likely that for some Bolsheviks,
the “experience of the efficiency” of such war measures
posed some quandaries,
when later enduring difficulties and failures everywhere,
once back engaged in the Herculean struggle
to WILL utopia into being.

They
“experienced the efficiency”
again, a direct quote.

The professor’s attitude
is WHY you should listen.
It is an example of what is possible (now, all around us)
by seemingly sensible, harmless folks.

It is NOT a polemic.
The “politics” don’t appear immediately and don’t ever tightly track to modern issues.

NOT to understate the feelings provoked listening to the unconscious moral depravity
woven through this account of “history”

It’s not easy. I recommend making a firm plan to stop after 1-2 lectures, and have
a pre-planned outlet (a walk around the block?).

Your family, friends, pets and small appliances will thank you.

Good Luck,
Kristin

Ps.
Any R. Girard fans?
The unaware brutalizer of the scapegoat
reminisces of past glories
of past violent mobs

Professor was engaging and knowledgeable.

From a tribal Nordic society, to a national identity, to a world power. The journey through Russia's history is dim but remarkable. Constant struggle with promises of better and better conditions turn into empty dreams by flim flam leaders. that oppress and con their way. backed up by force, to power. So many times Russia's history could have taken a turn for the better, but they took the more dismal path resulting in tyranny, oppression, and lies. Living in fear seems to be a way of life in their culture
They become numb to any hope of promises routinely broken by their leaders. They are spiritually burnt out as a culture.
I hope this new form of a republic will heal the many cultural wounds of their past.
Again, this fate is in the hands of their leaders. Good luck Russia.

FASCINATING!

In this series each lecture is not only informative, but also incredibly engaging and enthralling!

A great review of Russia

I enjoyed almost of the lectures. There were some philosophical lectures that were hard to follow. All of the lectures were interesting and presented very interesting information about the era they discussed. I think that it cover most everything from politics, physiology, the rich and poor, war, religion, and how it affected each member of Russian society.

A very good introduction to Russian History

A good introduction, passionately told. The author focuses on ordinary life of Russians; he provides good insight into pop culture and religion.

Well - researched content, but still a lecture!

I picked up this offering during a special promotion as a means to finally begin a long - procrastinated journey into Russian history. I actually own other Great Courses, so I knew what to expect more or less. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how spoiled I've become when this series is compared to the non - fiction historical BOOKS I've been enjoying on Audible! While I quite agree that Prof Steinberg knows his stuff, I found myself wanting to fast forward to cut through the repetition inevitable in a multi - lecture format. That and the endless conclusions presented, because this is educational. If you're looking for a solid but brief flit through Russian history, give this series a whirl. If, like me, you prefer a bit more meat, keep looking!

great over view of Russian history

interesting facts and information regarding the fall of the Czar's and the issues with communism.

Absolutely fascinating

Great course read by an outstanding story teller. I was glued. For history lovers and those curious about current events.

Detailed Descriptions of History

Very good review of Russian history with descriptive details. It’s a western
perspective ( and thanks to the author for indicating that from the very beginning).
One notable failure is In describing the persecution of minorities. The author never mentioned Muslims, a very large minority group in Russia who were persecuted throughout Russian history, making me wonder if the author may have failed to mention other persecuted minorities. Jews were the only minority mentioned as persecuted. The contributions of minorities were also never mentioned except occasionally of Jews.

Excellent summary

Having left Russian language and literature studies back in college 40+ years ago, this book did a masterful job of providing context and fill for all the holes in my understanding of the forces that led up to both the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the possibilities it represented for a world eager for a bold new model of governance. The discussion of how Lenin apparently chose Stalin rather than Bukarin (sp?) as the party leader and how Stalin managed to purge all the member of the original Bolsheviks that spearheaded the changes that brought him to power is revelatory. What might have happened if Stalin was not in a position to take the helm? While this is just a brief snapshot, it is a powerful reminder of what happens when a poorly educated self-promoting narcissist gains control of all the levers of power. Several years ago, I read Tim Snyder's Bloodlands, and later Anne Appelbaum's book about the in-between nations between Germany and Russia. This book gave context for how the world got there. (Regrets - more attention to the Golden Age of Russian literature would have been welcome to help set the stage for the events of the 20th century.