Russia - The Story of War

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.

About the author

Gregory Carleton is Professor of Russian Studies and Chair of the Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies at Tufts University.

Summary

Outsiders view Russia as an aggressor, but Russians see themselves as surrounded by enemies, defensively fighting off invader after invader, or called upon by history to be the savior of Europe, or Christianity, or civilization itself, often at immense cost. As Gregory Carleton shows, war is the unifying thread of Russia’s national epic.

Product details

• Authors: Gregory Carleton, Carleton Gregory
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.04.2017
• EAN: 9780674972483
• ISBN: 978-0-674-97248-3
• No. of pages: 310
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book; Russia, European History, HISTORY / Military / General, military history, Asian History, HISTORY / Russia / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Russian & Soviet