Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing 2020Michael Khodarkovsky’s innovative exploration of Russia's 20th century, through 100 carefully selected vignettes that span the century, offers a fascinating prism through which to view Russian history. Each chosen microhistory focuses on one particular event or individual that allows you to understand Russia not in abstract terms but in real events in the lives of ordinary people. Russia's 20th Century covers a broad range of topics, including the economy, culture, politics, ideology, law and society. This introduction provides a vital background and engaging analysis of Russia’s path through a turbulent 20th century. A representative sample of chapters in the book includes:1902: Peasants1903: The Pogrom1906: The Tsar’s Speech1908: Church1910: Tolstoy's Death1913: The Romanovs1916: Rasputin1922: USSR1927: Orphans into Communists1931: Palace of the Soviets 1935: Manufacturing Heroes1939: Hitler’s Ally1941: Moscow on the Brink 1945: Rape of Germany1949: Atomic Project1954: Nuclear War Exercise “Snowball”1955: Empire of Nations1960: Virgin Lands 1969: The Soviet Dr. Seuss 1971: The Soviet Bob Dylan 1972: Nixon in Moscow and Kiev1977: USSR, Less than a Sum of its Parts 1980: Moscow Olympic Games1984: “Iron Maiden” Behind the Iron Curtain1985: Vodka 1990: Soviet Nationalisms and Ethnic Wars1997: Russian Fascism1998: Return of the KGBThe historical mosaic of Russia's 20th Century provides a unique examination of modern Russian history one snapshot at a time, prompting us to reflect on a larger picture of Russia’s past and its place in the world today.
