Geoffrey Hosking je historikem Ruska a Sovětského svazu. Jeho práce se zaměřuje na pochopení dlouhodobých procesů formujících ruskou historii a identitu. Sleduje hluboké kulturní a politické proudy, které ovlivňují ruskou společnost. Jeho analýzy nabízejí cenný vhled do složitosti ruského vývoje.
From Earliest Times to the Present - Second Edition Fully Updated With a New Chapter
Tracing Russia's story from the settlement of Kiev onwards, this title includes a chapter on the role of Putin and Medvedev, and their impact on Russia's economy, politics and its citizens.
Geoffrey Hosking's landmark work provides a new prism through which to view Russian history by asking the question, 'What is Russia's national identity?'.
A History of the Soviet Union From Within, Second Enlarged Edition
The First Socialist Society offers a compelling and often tragic history of Soviet citizens from 1917 to the present, told with great sympathy and insight. It explores the evolving lives of peasants, urban workers, and professionals, the relationship between Soviet autocrats and the populace, and the roles of religion, law, education, and literature in society. The narrative reveals how Marxist ideas transformed under unique political and economic circumstances. The analysis begins by examining how the first socialist revolution occurred in backward, autocratic Russia and why the Bolsheviks managed to seize and maintain power. A central focus is on Stalin's rule, exploring how he wielded such absolute power and how various social strata coped with his tyranny. Later chapters discuss Khrushchev's attempts to reform Stalinism and the unpredictable impacts of these efforts in Eastern European satellite states, highlighting aspects of socialism that had been obscured in the Soviet Union. Following the stagnation and corruption of the Brezhnev era, the text poses the critical question of whether Soviet society can adapt and overcome the rigidities inherited from Stalin's legacy.
Russia's sheer size has made it difficult to mobilize resources and to govern effectively, especially given its harsh climate, vast and vulnerable borders, and the diversity of its people. In this Very Short Introduction, Geoffrey Hosking discusses all aspects of Russian history, from the struggle by the state to control society to the transformation of the nation into a multi-ethnic empire, Russia's relations with the West, and the post-Soviet era. Hosking, a leading international authority, examines Russian history in an impartial way, arguing that "Good Russia" and "Bad Russia" are one and the same. He also evaluates important individuals in Russian history, from Peter the Great and Catherine II to Lenin and Stalin.