Russia and the Soviet Union an historical introduction from the Kievan state to the present

The fifth edition of this lucid account of Russian and Soviet history from ancient Kievan Rus' to Vladimir Putin's presidency in the early years of the twenty-first century presents major events and trends. Thompson also covers controversial topics including the impact of the Mongol conquest, the paradoxes of Peter the Great, the 'inevitability' of the 1917 Revolution, the Stalinist terror, and the Gorbachev reform effort. This thoroughly revised and updated edition includes additional treatment of social and cultural issues as well as a new chapter on post-Soviet Russia and the Yeltsin and Putin eras. The text is supplemented with maps and illustrations and includes a list of suggested readings at the end of each chapter.