Ward Christopher J., Thompson John M. Russia: A Historical Introduction from Kievan Rus' to the Present

9th ed. — N. Y.: Routledge, 2021. — xiii, 384 p. — ISBN 978-1-003-01551-2.This lucid account of Russian and Soviet history presents major trends and events from Kievan Rus' to Vladimir Putin's presidency in the twenty-first century. Directly addressing controversial topics, this book looks at issues such as the impact of the Mongol conquest, the paradoxes of Peter the Great, the "inevitability" of the 1917 Revolution, the Stalinist terror, and the Gorbachev reform effort. This new ninth edition has been updated to include a discussion of Russian participation in the War in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, Russia's role in the Syrian civil war, the rise of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's confirmation as "president for life," recent Russian relations with the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the European Union as well as contemporary social and cultural trends. Distinguished by its brevity and supplemented with substantially updated suggested readings that feature new scholarship on Russia and a thoroughly updated index, this essential text provides balanced coverage of all periods of Russian history and incorporates economic, social, and cultural developments as well as politics and foreign policy. Suitable for undergraduates as well as the general reader with an interest in Russia, this text is a concise, single volume on one of the world's most significant lands.Introduction: Ancient Russia and Kievan Rus’
Kievan Rus’ in Crisis and the Mongol Contact, 1054–1462
The Rise of Moscow, 1328–1533
The Russian Empire and the Time of Troubles, 1533–1618
The Formation of Imperial Russian Society, 1613–1689
Peter the Great and the Conundrum of Westernization, 1689–1725
Change and Continuity, 1725–1801
Autocracy, Dissent, and Ferment, 1801–1855
Reform, Reaction, and Modernization, 1855–1904
Conflict, Revolution, and War, 1904–1917
Revolution, Civil War, and the Founding of the Soviet State, 1917–1928
The Stalin Revolution and World War II, 1928–1946
Stability and Stagnation during the Cold War, 1946–1984
The Collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985–1991
Russia in a Post-Soviet World, 1991–2000
Russia under Putin