Theodore R. Weeks - Across the Revolutionary Divide. Russia and the USSR, 1861-1945 [2010][A]

Book Description
Publication Date: August 16, 2010
Across the Revolutionary Divide: Russia and the USSR 1861-1945 offers a broad interpretive account of Russian history from the emancipation of the serfs to the end of World War II.
***Provides a coherent overview of Russia's development from 1861 through to 1945
***Reflects the latest scholarship by taking a thematic approach to Russian history and bridging the ‘revolutionary divide’ of 1917
***Covers political, economic, cultural, and everyday life issues during a period of major changes in Russian history
Addresses throughout the diversity of national groups, cultures, and religions in the Russian Empire and USSR
***Shows how the radical policies adopted after 1917 both changed Russia and perpetuated an economic and political rigidity that continues to influence modern society.

Reviews
“There are different ways to write a survey of Russian history, and most of them have been tried many times. Yet Simon Dixon, the editor of this excellent three-volume series, has invited his authors to do something new.” (Slavonic and East European Review, 1 April 2012)

"On the whole, there are many positives in this work. The thematic approach makes it clear that certain characteristics were present in both tsarist and Soviet times, and that significant continuities were evident within the political and social aspects of revolutionary Russia." (Revolutionary Russia, 2 December 2011)

"Recommended. Most levels/libraries." (Choice, 1 May 2011)

"This is a superb interpretive history that integrates the latest research and thoughtfully presents the story of modern Russia in an accessible and elegant way."—Robert D. Crews, Stanford University

"Drawing on the latest scholarship, Ted Weeks has written a first-rate account of Russian history from the emancipation of the serfs in 1861 to the end of the World War II. Students and scholars alike will derive great benefit from his accessible prose and analytical insights. Highly recommended."—Glennys Young, University of Washington

"A thought-provoking book which sheds fresh light on this period of Russian history, by overcoming the conventional narrative in bridging the tsarist and the Soviet era, and by following a thematic instead of a chronological structure"
—Andreas Kappeler, University of Vienna

From the Back Cover
Across the Revolutionary Divide: Russia, 1861-1945 presents an ambitious interpretive account of Russian history from the abolition of serfdom by Alexander II to the end of World War II. By taking into account seven fundamental themes -- Politics, Society, Nations, Modernization, Beliefs, World, and Culture – the author recounts the turbulent series of events, influences, reforms, and revolutions that transformed the vast country from a backward society into one of the world's two great "super-powers."
At the same time we see how the great changes brought about by the Revolution of 1917 left the USSR with many of the same problems of the Tsarist era, including the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, and a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual population. The book also reveals how the radical policies adopted after the Bolshevik takeover both changed the face of Russia while perpetuating an economic and political rigidity whose effects continue into the twenty-first century.
With its unique thematic approach and careful balance of political, economic, and cultural issues, Across the Revolutionary Divide is a thought-provoking overview ofone of the most fascinating periods of Russian history.

About the Author
Theodore R. Weeks is Professor of History at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He is author of Nation and State in Late Imperial Russia (1996) and From Assimilation to Antisemitism: The “Jewish Question” in Poland, 1855 to 1914 (2006).