Russia, Gregory Carleton
Russia, Gregory Carleton
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Russia
The Story of War

Author: Gregory Carleton

Narrator: James Cameron Stewart

Unabridged: 10 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/14/2017


Synopsis

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.

About Gregory Carleton

Gregory Carleton is professor of Russian studies and chair of the Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies at Tufts University.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dramatika on July 11, 2017

Read any recent Western news, you get the feeling that Russia is out to get you, ready to strike and invade at any moment. This is despite the fact that we are in fact surrounded by enemy armies on all our vast borders with Nato directly aimed on us. In fact, Russia is responsible for all recent tro......more

Goodreads review by Carolyn on April 12, 2018

I expected to read a military history of Russia in chronological order from the arrival of the Vikings to Putin's annexation of the Crimea. Instead, Russia: The Story of War is a thematic analysis of the role of war in Russia's national identity and international reputation. The book examines Russia......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on March 04, 2022

Fantastic book for understanding Russian identity and worldview.......more

Goodreads review by Jason on January 20, 2020

If you want to understand why Russia thinks differently than the United States, this is the book to read. The introduction makes a good Cliffs Notes of what you're going to read in general, and the discussion on Putin is very useful.......more

Goodreads review by Scott on August 05, 2020

(Audiobook) This book takes a look at how Russians view themselves as a people and a nation. A critical part of that identity is their history of conflict and battle. Historically, the Russian people and leadership use their history of conflict and religion to create the Russian identity, a sort of......more