Synopsis-
Galeotti exposes the vitality of Russian history and draws a parallel between the past and its influence on the future. A brief history of Russia takes you from 862 to the 20th century. The book explores the relationship between the West and Russia and shines a light on a significant question - Will Russia ever be able to integrate into Europe?
''Dangerous is the day any regime tries to convince itself of its own invincibility''
'' Russia, for a start is strong when its united, prey when its divided''
Analysis:-
Russia is a country with no natural borders, no single ethos, and no true cultural identity. Therefore it would be naive to say her history and modern political system is not intriguing. Galeotti explores the legends of Ivan the Terrible and Catherine the Great, it is to note this is rich in detail. Near every new chapter, there is a timeline of events to help illustrate the significant events which are analyzed. It may be just my dislike for ancient history however there seemed to be a dichotomy between the extensive medieval history and the lack of post-world war I history. This for me tarnished my opinion of the book, however I would still give it 4/5 stars.
A brief history of Russia does not just focus on the past but also the future. Galleoti writes about Putin and his influence on politics today whilst also illustrating this hatred for the west. He strips Russias reputation and explores its beauty and current vitality describing its cultural scene and its artistic movement. The book however is weighted in bias as we see Galleoti shame Gorbachev and in a way frame Putin in a ( sort of ) positive light. Although opinions are significant for books, It seems that they should be kept to a minimum in history books to highlight the raw facts. Despite this, the book was an easy read with a good style of writing which lured the reader from the start. It is not easy to cover thousand of years of Russian history and squash it into under 400 pages, however, this book did a pretty good job.
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