The History Book Club discussion
RUSSIA
>
INTRODUCTION -RUSSIA
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
Published on Sep 5, 2015
In an effort to show how tough they are, Vladimir Putin and Dmitri Medvedev have released an exercise video. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian (The Point), hosts of the The Young Turks, break it down.
"On Sunday, the Kremlin released a strange, awkward video of Russian President Vladimir Putin working out with Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. The camera follows the two men silently lifting weights in a sun-dappled pavilion at the Bocharov Ruchei government residence in Sochi, going from exercise to exercise on the kind of self-balancing weight machines that your CrossFit-obsessed friends are always making fun of.�*
Source: The Young Turks
Mod
David Cameron & Vladimir Putin became good friends during 2012 games
But the pair fell out during talks at the G20 summit in Russia the next year
Neither leader would back down in late night argument about gay rights
By ANTHONY SELDON and PETER SNOWDON FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
EST, 5 September 2015 | UPDATED: 02:37 EST, 6 September 2015
Source: Daily Mail UK
This man has a real problem........his desire for either running around shirtless (he doesn't look as good as he thinks he does!) or pumping iron is like that of a child showing off for adults.. "Look at me, look at me". Give me a break!
Mod
I recently read "The Constellation of Vital Phenomena" by Anthony Marra. Excellent writing but very dark. It did peak my interest in Russian History. Does anyone have recommendations on what books I should read? I'd like to start in the 1800's and work my way to current times.
by
Anthony Marra
Mod
Russia and the Russians: A History
by
Geoffrey HoskingSynopsis:
From the Carpathians in the west to the Greater Khingan range in the east, a huge, flat expanse dominates the Eurasian continent. Here, over more than a thousand years, the history and destiny of Russia have unfolded. In a sweeping narrative, one of the English-speaking world's leading historians of Russia follows this story from the first emergence of the Slavs in the historical record in the sixth century C.E. to the Russians' persistent appearances in today's headlines. Hosking's is a monumental story of competing legacies, of an enormous power uneasily balanced between the ideas and realities of Asian empire, European culture, and Byzantine religion; of a constantly shifting identity, from Kievan Rus to Muscovy to Russian Empire to Soviet Union to Russian Federation, and of Tsars and leaders struggling to articulate that identity over the centuries.
With particular attention to non-Russian regions and ethnic groups and to Russia's relations with neighboring polities, Hosking lays out the links between political, economic, social, and cultural phenomena that have made Russia what it is--a world at once familiar and mysterious to Western observers. In a clear and engaging style, he conducts us through the Mongol invasions, the rise of autocracy, the reigns of Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great, the battle against Napoleon, the emancipation of the serfs, the Crimean War, the Bolshevik Revolution, Stalin's reign of terror, the two World Wars, the end of the USSR, to today's war against Chechnya. Hosking's history is shot through with the understanding that becoming an empire has prevented Russia from becoming a nation and has perpetuated archaic personal forms of power. This book is the most penetrating and comprehensive account yet of what such a legacy has meant--to Russia, and to the world.
Thank you - put it on my Christmas list!
A History of Russia by Nicholas V. RiasanovskyI think that this book ( which I haven't finished yet but read a good part of it ) is one of the best introduction to the history of this gigantic, always talked about and yet very mysterious country. I do recommend it, it's not the easiest read but the author wrote in a very clear manner.
If some of you are interested, I suggest that you take care in buying the latest edition as the author, during his life, revised the book several times ( six or seven times if I remember ) to discuss the new events. From the pre-Kievan Rus times to President Putin, this book does the perfect job in introducing the reader to Russia and help him find his field of interest for further readings.
Synopsys
Widely acclaimed as the best one-volume survey text available, A History of Russia presents the whole span of Russia's history, from the origins of the Kievan state and the building of an empire, to Soviet Russia, the successor states, and beyond. Drawing on both primary sources and major interpretive works, this sixth edition updates its existing coverage of the social, economic, cultural, political and miliary events of Russia's past and includes a new chapter on the post-Gorbachev era as well as helpful updated biblipgraphies and reading source lists.
Examining contemporary issues such as the rise of Yeltsin, the nationalities question, and Russia's attempts to market capitalism, this sixth edition takes the study of Russia straight into the new millennium, continuing A History of Russia's nearly forty-year track record as the leader in the field.
by
Mod
by
Arkady OstrovskySynopsis:
In “The Invention of Russia,� Arkady Ostrovsky, the former Moscow bureau chief of the Economist, details the social, political and economic changes that took place in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
From Ostrovsky’s vantage point, control of the media became the key to consolidating power in the Russian state, both in the 1990s under Yeltsin and in the 2000s under Putin.
That might have been one of the most important lessons learned by Putin when he became President — that controlling the message would be the key to holding on to power in perilous times.
After reading Ostrovsky’s book, it’s possible to argue that the whole concept of the modern Russian state has been dreamed up by Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin elite to fill an enormous psychological void, and then given form and shape by state-run propaganda.
What else can you do when you realize that your once great nation turned out to be nothing more than just a hulking wreck and a global laughingstock? Adding insult to injury, the once promising Western reforms of liberal democracy brought nothing but chaos and economic decline under Gorbachev and Yeltsin.
Under Putin, there needed to be a carefully orchestrated message of Russian greatness promising a brighter future. The hidden catch is that it came with a reduction in personal liberties.
Mod
Russian Hackers Find Ready Bullhorns in the Media
Source: The New York Times
Link:
CNN: (Source)
Link:
CBS: (Source)
Russians scoff at intel report on U.S. election hacking
Link:
The Washington Times (Source)
Sen. Lindsey Graham: On Russian hacking, Donald Trump worried about own legitimacy
Link:
The Atlantic Monthly - (Source)
Did Putin Direct Russian Hacking? And Other Big Questions
Did Moscow influence the U.S. election? Who else has been hacked? Could the CIA be wrong?
Link:
Breitbart - (Source) - Disclosure - I do not value this source but the video excerpt does discuss what most journalists reporting on this feel and it shows both diametrically opposed viewpoints - the other viewpoint. I am talking about Breitbart and not CNBC.
CNBC’s Santelli Takes on ‘Meet the Press� Panel on Russian Hacking � ‘On Election Night, I Never Saw You So Unhappy�
Link:
The Guardian - (Source)
UK intelligence gave US key tipoff about Russian hacking, report says
Donald Trump tweets defiance as New York Times sources say Britain ‘among first� to raise alarm over hacking of Democratic National Committee
Link:
New York Times (Source)
Intelligence Report on Russian Hacking
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released on Friday a report that detailed what it called a Russian campaign to influence the election. The report is the unclassified summary of a highly sensitive assessment from American intelligence and law enforcement agencies. JAN. 6, 2017
Mod
Link:
Source: EuroDocs
Mod
Link:
Video:
Source: Youtube
Mod
Source: CNN
Mod
Some 3,000 U.S. troops, under a NATO banner, are arriving in Poland and six other Eastern European countries in what a Kremlin spokesman calls a threat to Russia's interest and security.
The deployment, which includes more than 80 main battle tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles, is part of NATO's Operation Atlantic Resolve, which was launched in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The operation, representing the largest U.S. military reinforcement of Europe in decades, calls for a unit rotation every nine months.
Remainder of article:
Source: USA Today
More:
by
George FriedmanSynopsis:
New York Times bestselling author and geopolitical forecaster George Friedman delivers a fascinating portrait of modern-day Europe, with special focus on significant political, cultural, and geographical flashpoints where the conflicts of the past are smoldering once again.
For the past five hundred years, Europe has been the nexus of global culture and power. But throughout most of that history, most European countries have also been volatile and unstable—some even ground zero for catastrophic wars. As Friedman explores the continent’s history region by region, he examines the centuries-long struggles for power and territory among the empires of Spain, Britain, Germany, and Russia that have led to present-day crises: economic instability in Greece; breakaway states threatening the status quo in Spain, Belgium, and the United Kingdom; and a rising tide of migrants disrupting social order in many EU countries. Readers will gain a new understanding of the current and historical forces at work—and a new appreciation of how valuable and fragile peace can be.
Call of the Urals? German transplant to Russia finds the adventure of his life.By FRED WEIR
Former German businessman Stefan Semken and his Russian wife, Olga, at their little guest house in the Urals village of Byngi, on September 13, 2016.
BYNGI, RUSSIA � You would probably never guess that the owner of that brightly painted peasant house along the muddy main street of this remote Urals village could be a jovial, modern-minded German businessman.
But such a person, Stefan Semken, did, in fact, transplant himself to this formerly closed Russian military-industrial region several years ago and marry a local woman. Today they run a moderately successful, off-the-beaten-track tourist enterprise out of this very cottage, or izba, as the traditional Russian peasant house is called.
But that doesn't begin to describe the complicated life of Mr. Semken, who closed his lithography business in Bremen about 15 years ago to pursue what he says was his life's dream of visiting Russia.
He somehow washed up in Yekaterinburg, a grim industrial city straddling the boundary between Europe and Asia that was about as far from the familiar Western consumer life as he could get.
There the gregarious German met his future wife, made friends who helped him navigate the bizarre hurdles of Russian bureaucracy, did odd jobs, and started to involve himself in the local arts scene and charity work. He has since made headlines a couple of times, attracted the attention of the FSB security police, and touched the hearts of many around here with his efforts to become a contributing part of their world.
Even his Russian friends say they're constantly amazed at how a total alien somehow manages to fit into the very specific, tradition-bound rhythms of Urals life. It's as if “a penguin suddenly appeared in the jungle, and started telling the lions how to run things � and the lions actually tolerated that,� says one acquaintance.
“I was shocked when I came here, to see how poor the people were and how frozen in time it seemed,”says Semken. “It was like I traveled back across the Iron Curtain. But I started meeting people, and doing things just to help, maybe change things a bit. That felt very new and satisfying to me. When I was a businessman in Germany, it was only about money. Here was a whole new way to look at life.�
Yekaterinburg's mayor, Yevgeny Roizman, says he first met Semken in 2004, at a children's hospital in the city.
“I was a deputy of the Duma [Russia's parliament] in those days. I had come to Children's Hospital No. 15 to talk with management about how we could help. And there was this fellow, Stefan, arguing with the doctors in almost non-existent Russian about a little 1-year-old girl with a hip bone deformity,� says Mr. Roizman. “He was insisting her condition was operable, but the doctors just shrugged at him. So, Stefan went away and figured out how to send that little girl to Germany, where she had the operation. She's walking around in Yekaterinburg today.�
About eight years ago Semken and his Yekaterinburg-born wife, Olga, decided to buy the little village house in Byngi, and start a tour business to encourage adventurous Europeans to come and visit the "real" Russia. They now host about 50 people over a summer season. Semken takes them on alternative tours of the Urals region, including visits to a gold mine, schools, businesses, a home for disabled children, and a tank factory town. The tours also include viewing � from a distance � NovoUralsk, one of the biggest Soviet-era closed military cities remaining in Russia.
“The people who come here are not the type who want to lie on a beach in Spain,� he says. “I try to make sure everyone gets a personal itinerary.�
Often the little guest house is filled up with Semken's own invitees, like German pop groups for whom he arranges gigs in local schools, bars, and houses of culture. He similarly helps Russian musicians to travel to Germany, and he seems to constantly have some project in the works.
One day in September he was organizing a visit by four German clowns, from the Clowns Without Borders group, to perform for children in the nearby military-industrial city of Nizhni Tagil, where closure of the local circus last year created a catastrophic clown shortage.
“I had to get German clowns because � you won't believe this � they're much cheaper than Russian clowns,� he says. “But the kids need to laugh.�
Sometimes his projects cross an invisible line, as when he initiated a petition against a local gold mining company that planned to introduce a process using cyanide to separate gold from sand and gravel. The petition, supported by the local Orthodox priest and many of Semken’s neighbors, actually forced the company to back down. But it also attracted the attention of the FSB security service who, according to Semken, called in several of his friends for private interviews about his activities.
“I sent them [the FSB] a letter, telling them to come and talk with me if they had any questions,� he says. “They haven't answered it so far.�
Konstantin Brylyakov, a former deputy minister of tourism in Sverdlovsk region, says he has been amazed to watch how Semken has managed to integrate into the village community. “The people in Byngi have accepted this family, even though he is a Westerner, and they stopped viewing him as a stranger long ago. They pull together, they help each other. It's something to see.�
Read the remainder of the article:
Discussion Topics
a) Does the place mentioned in the article sound like the "real Russia" to you?
b) Is Byngi the sort of place you would like to visit? Do you consider yourself an adventurous traveler?
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Where did Russia come from?
Map of Kievan Rus in the 8th & 9th centuries. Credit SeikoEn.
In five minutes, this TED-ED video tells you about the origins of the early Slavs, their separation into the tribes that led to today's Slavic nations, and how the Scandinavians played a major role in launching the first organized state in the region.
Link:
Other:
300 Years of Russian History in 3 Minutes:
A Video History of Russia from the Bronze Age to Revolution:
More:
Excerpts of Nestor's Primary Chronicle, one of the earliest sources of East Slavic history:
An overview of Vladimir I, the first Christian ruler of Kievan Rus:
The effects of the Mongol Empire on Russia:
Books on Early Russian History
by
Geoffrey Hosking
by A.P. Vlasto (no photo)Discussion Topics:
1) Do you think Rurik, the founding father of the Russian state, was a Slav, a Viking, a German, or something else? Do you think he even existed?
2) What do you think of Vladimir I's method for selecting Eastern Orthodox Christianity for his empire's religion?
Mary
Admin (T) - Russia and Russian History
The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War
by
Arkady OstrovskySynopsis:
A highly original narrative history by The Economist’s Moscow bureau chief that does for modern Russia what Evan Osnos did for China in Age of Ambition.
The end of communism and breakup of the Soviet Union was a time of euphoria around the world, but Russia today is violently anti-American and dangerously nationalistic. So how did we go from the promise of those heady days to the autocratic police state of Putin’s new Russia?
The Invention of Russia is a breathtakingly ambitious book that reaches back to the darkest days of the cold war to tell the story of the fight for the soul of a nation. With the deep insight only possible of a native son, Ostrovsky introduces us to the propagandists, oligarchs, and fixers who have set Russia’s course since the collapse of the Soviet Union, inventing a new and more ominous identity for a country where ideas are all too often wielded like a cudgel.
The Soviet Union yoked together dreamers and strongmen—those who believed in an egalitarian ideal and those who pushed for an even more powerful state. The new Russia is a cynical operation, where perpetual fear and war are fueled by a web of lies, as television presenters peddle the invasion of Ukraine and goad Putin to go nuclear. Twenty-five years after the Soviet flag came down over the Kremlin, Russia and America are again heading toward a confrontation—but this course was far from inevitable. With this riveting account of how we got here—of the many mistakes and false promises—Ostrovsky emerges as Russia’s most gifted chronicler.
Discussion Topics
1. What are your thoughts about the book's depiction of Russia's journey from the fall of the Soviet Empire to today?
2. What do you think the US or the EU should do about Putin? Are you surprised that Trump no longer seems to hold Putin in a favorable light?
Mod
But to really get NK in line I actually think Trump needs Putin too.
These threads have great suggestions on books about Russia to read. If anyone else had some more suggestions on books I should read before my vacation to Russia this summer, It would be greatly appreciated.
Mod
Leo Tolstoy
by
Garry Kasparov
by
Simon Sebag Montefiore
by
Robert K. Massie
by
Robert K. Massie
by
Robert K. Massie
by
David Greene
by
Orlando Figes
by Dmitri O. Shvidkovsky (no photo)
Mod
by Pierre Descargues (no photo)
by
Colin ThubronA travel book is paramount - Lonely Planet, Frommer's or Foder's
Here is something from Lonely Planet that might help:
Four Great Day Trips from Moscow
Source: Lonely Planet
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Among the Russians (other topics)The Hermitage Museum Leningrad (other topics)
St. Petersburg: Architecture of the Tsars (other topics)
Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia (other topics)
Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Pierre Descargues (other topics)Colin Thubron (other topics)
Orlando Figes (other topics)
David Greene (other topics)
Leo Tolstoy (other topics)
More...
Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942-1943
Synopsis
Historians and reviewers worldwide have hailed Antony Beevor's magisterial Stalingrad as the definitive account of World War II's most harrowing battle. In August 1942, Hitler's huge Sixth Army reached the city that bore Stalin's name. In the five month siege that followed, the Russians fought to hold Stalingrad at any cost, then caught their Nazi enemy in an astonishing reversal. As never before, Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides as they fought in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. Antony Beevor has interviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of German and Soviet archives, including reports of prisoner interrogations, desertions, and executions. The battle of Stalingrad was the psychological turning point of World War II; as Beevor makes clear, it also changed the face of modern warfare. As a story of cruelty, courage, and human suffering, Stalingrad is unprecedented and unforgettable.