Russia Europe

The Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, subsequent war in Eastern Ukraine, and economic sanctions imposed by the West transformed European politics. The conflict did not escalate to the levels originally feared but nor was either side able to bring it to a definitive conclusion. Ukraine suffered a loss of territory but was not forced into changing its policies away from the Westward course adopted as a result of the EuroMaidan uprising of February 2014. President Putin was left supporting a separatist enclave as Russia's economy suffered significant damage.

The Russian Revolution may be the most misunderstood and misrepresented event in modern history, its history told in a mix of legends and anecdotes. In A People's History of the Russian Revolution, Neil Faulkner sets out to debunk the myths and pry fact from fiction, putting at the heart of the story the Russian people who are the true heroes of this tumultuous tale.

In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. In that euphoric year Rory MacLean travelled from Berlin to Moscow, exploring lands that were - for most Brits and Americans - part of the forgotten half of Europe. Thirty years on, MacLean traces his original journey backwards, across countries confronting old ghosts and new fears: from revanchist Russia, through Ukraine’s bloodlands, into illiberal Hungary and then Poland, Germany and the UK.

Drawing on new archival research, Robert Service's gripping new investigation of the final years of the Cold War - the first to give equal attention to the internal deliberations from both sides of the Iron Curtain - opens a window onto the dramatic years that would irrevocably alter the world's geopolitical landscape and the men at their fore.

The justification for the atomic bomb was simple: it would defeat Hitler and end the Second World War faster, saving lives. The reality was different. Fallout dismantles the conventional story of why the atom bomb was built. Peter Watson has found documents showing that long before the Allied bomb was operational, it was clear that Germany had no atomic weapons of its own and was not likely to. The British knew this, but didn't share their knowledge with the Americans, who in turn deceived the British about the extent to which the Soviets had penetrated their plans for the bomb.

John Mosier presents a revisionist retelling of the war on the Eastern Front. The conventional wisdom is that Hitler was mad to think he could defeat the USSR, because of its vast size and population, and that the Battle of Stalingrad marked the turning point of the war. Neither statement is accurate, says Mosier; Hitler came very close to winning outright.

The history of Ukraine is a fascinating story of how cultures, political systems, religions, and power have met, intersected, morphed, and expanded. The region was relatively sparsely populated for much of ancient history, a wilderness of rivers, forests, and steppes, but that does not detract from the rich historical development of the region. This geographical formation has influenced some of the country’s key historical developments, as well as the location of its major settlements.

Despite the best efforts of a number of historians, many aspects of the ferocious struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during the Second World War remain obscure or shrouded in myth. One of the most persistent of these is the notion - largely created by many former members of its own officer corps in the immediate postwar period - that the German Army was a paragon of military professionalism and operational proficiency whose defeat on the Eastern Front was solely attributable to the amateurish meddling of a crazed former Corporal.

In 1993-94 Sigrid Rausing completed her anthropological fieldwork on the peninsula of Noarootsi, a former Soviet border protection zone in Estonia. Abandoned watchtowers dotted the coastline, and the huge fields of the Lenin collective farm were lying fallow, waiting for claims from former owners, fleeing war and Soviet and Nazi occupation. Rausing’s conversations with the local people touched on many subjects.

The Russian Federation and Ukraine do indeed share a common heritage, but their history and culture led them along divergent paths. Many listeners might be surprised to learn that the historical center of Russia was not Moscow, but Kiev, the capital of modern Ukraine.

This Very Short Introduction introduces listeners to the dimensions of the Russian economy that are often ignored by the media, or exaggerated and misunderstood. In doing so, it shows how Russia's economy is one of global significance, and helps explain why many of Russia's enduring features, such as the heavy hand of the state and the emphasis on military-industrial production, have persisted despite the immense changes that took place after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 24th volume of this work covers a portion of the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, from 1756 to 1761.

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 20th volume of this work covers the reign of Empress Anna Ivanovna.

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 25th volume of this work covers the period from the reign of Emperor Peter III to the beginning of the reign of Catherine II (1761-1763).

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 19th volume of this work covers the period from the reign of Empress Catherine I Alekseevna to the reign of Empress Anna Ivanovna.

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 21st volume of the work covers part of the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (1740-1748).

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 17th volume of this work covers the final period of the reign of Peter I Alekseevich (1722-1725).

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 13th volume of this work covers the period between 1676 and 1682, from the reign of Theodore Alekseevich (Fyodor III) to unrest in Moscow in 1682.

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 10th volume of this work is devoted to the period of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676).

A famous work of the great Russian historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyov (1820-1879), who was a major achiever in Russian historical science in the 19th century. Solovyov is the "first among equals" in the galaxy of brilliant Russian historians, which includes Karamzin, Klyuchevsky, Kostomarov, Presnyakov, Granovsky, Platonov, and many others. The 11th volume of this work is devoted to the period of the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich (1645-1676).