The Shortest History of the Soviet Union

by Sheila Fitzpatrick Narrated by Robin Siegerman

Overview

In 1917, Bolshevik revolutionaries came to power in the war-torn Russian Empire in a way that defied all predictions. Scarcely a lifespan later, in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed as accidentally as it arose. The decades between witnessed drama on an epic scale-the chaos and hope of revolution, famines and purges, hard-won victory in history's most destructive war, and worldwide geopolitical conflict, all entwined around the dream of building a better society.



This book is a lively and authoritative distillation of this complex history, told with vivid details, a grand sweep, and wry wit. Acclaimed historian Sheila Fitzpatrick chronicles the Soviet Age-its rise, reign, and unexpected fall, as well as its afterlife in today's Russia. She underscores the many ironies of the Soviet experience: An ideology that claimed to offer humanity the reins of history wrangled with contingency. An avowedly internationalist and anti-imperialist state birthed an array of nationalisms. And a vision of transcending economic and social inequality and injustice gave rise to a country that was, in its way, surprisingly normal.



Moving seamlessly from Lenin to Stalin to Gorbachev to Putin, The Shortest History of the Soviet Union provides an indispensable guide to one of the twentieth century's great powers and the enduring fascination it still exerts.

Editorial Reviews

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Robin Siegerman gives a most winsome narration of this historical overview of the Soviet Union. Fitzpatrick covers the history from before the Revolution of 1917 through civil war, collectivization, forced industrialization, the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, and many other, often traumatic, occurrences and eras through the Russia of today. As a student in the U.S.S.R. in the late 1970s and having studied Russia before that, I contend that the West has always misunderstood this country—and still continues to. This short history is a nice introduction to the history of this region. Siegerman’s pacing and delivery are excellent. She is extremely clear in delivery and enunciation and is sufficiently expressive to maintain the listener’s interest. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Times Literary Supplement

Hugely authoritative.

Journal of Contemporary History

Fitzpatrick has written another instant classic.

Choi Chatterjee

Fitzpatrick is the foremost historian of the Soviet Union in the world. With admirable writing and strong organization, she compresses tons of excellent information into a very accessible text.

Slavoj eiek

Sheila Fitzpatrick’s The Shortest History of the Soviet Union comes as close to a miracle as an academic book can. It is written for the general public that wants a clear overview of the topic but at the same time offers a concise and well-balanced synthesis of decades of Soviet studies. It is an immensely readable overview of the entire history of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991, full of anecdotes and lively detail but also meeting the highest academic standards. It avoids all extreme political passions, but its pages are nonetheless permeated by a gut moral sense. When things get really horrible, only black comedy can adequately render the situation—every pathetic sense of tragedy is already a fake. In this vein, I would add that if I were a Stalinist, I would have said that those who ignore this book deserve . . . if not a Gulag sentence, then at least a year or two of harsh re-education!

Alexis Peri

Sheila Fitzpatrick does the seemingly impossible by telling the entire history of the Soviet Union (and even some post-Soviet history) in a single sitting. A clear and engaging account of Soviet history, this book is extremely readable, mind-bogglingly brief, and relentlessly insightful.

Midwest Book Review

A lively and authoritative distillation of this complex history, told with vivid details, a grand sweep, and wry wit.

Slavoj Žižek

Sheila Fitzpatrick’s The Shortest History of the Soviet Union comes as close to a miracle as an academic book can. It is written for the general public that wants a clear overview of the topic but at the same time offers a concise and well-balanced synthesis of decades of Soviet studies. It is an immensely readable overview of the entire history of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991, full of anecdotes and lively detail but also meeting the highest academic standards. It avoids all extreme political passions, but its pages are nonetheless permeated by a gut moral sense. When things get really horrible, only black comedy can adequately render the situation—every pathetic sense of tragedy is already a fake. In this vein, I would add that if I were a Stalinist, I would have said that those who ignore this book deserve . . . if not a Gulag sentence, then at least a year or two of harsh re-education!

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Robin Siegerman gives a most winsome narration of this historical overview of the Soviet Union. Fitzpatrick covers the history from before the Revolution of 1917 through civil war, collectivization, forced industrialization, the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, and many other, often traumatic, occurrences and eras through the Russia of today. As a student in the U.S.S.R. in the late 1970s and having studied Russia before that, I contend that the West has always misunderstood this country—and still continues to. This short history is a nice introduction to the history of this region. Siegerman’s pacing and delivery are excellent. She is extremely clear in delivery and enunciation and is sufficiently expressive to maintain the listener’s interest. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175652148
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	891,637

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