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Rating: 
Summary: Academic and Revisionist
Review: A couple other reviews do a good job of stating the problems with this book (Setliff and an unnamed reviewer). It is academic and dry. When it gets to the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin's role and character is minimalized and there is not even a mention of the murder of Nicholas II. Considering it blatant propganda at that point, I didn't read on past that. The comments about Stalinism in other reviews go in line with what I read about Bolshevism.
Rating:
Summary: Academic and Revisionist
Review: A couple other reviews do a good job of stating the problems with this book (Setliff and an unnamed reviewer). It is academic and dry. When it gets to the Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin's role and character is minimalized and there is not even a mention of the murder of Nicholas II. Considering it blatant propganda at that point, I didn't read on past that. The comments about Stalinism in other reviews go in line with what I read about Bolshevism.
Rating: 
Summary: Barely worthwhile... Classic revisionism on Stalinist crimes
Review: As somewhat of a history buff, I bought this book for superficial reasons: neat cover and the bold ambitious title. In hindsight, I should have read more reviews. This book covers Russia from early Czarist times of Ivan the Terrible through the Sickle-and-Hammer days of the Russian Revolution. It features a number of short essay chapters from various contributors. Like a previous reviewer indicated, this book focuses more on the leaders and leadership than anything else. While this might be an easy way to approach an historically authoritarian country's history, it's not the best way. At times, certain chapters make for a totally dry and boring read. However, there were some interesting insights by a few writers, but marginal in number.Considering the horrific revelations of Soviet Russia's totalitarian past, the revisonist interpertation on Stalinism is a real crime. Especially since this book was so ambitious with it's 'in-depth' probing the Stalinist era. Yet, it only glosses over the surface, while downplaying and denying communist crimes all the way. Also it is full of pictures, but mostly those Stalinist-era propaganda variety that hails ambitious production and public works projects. At best, this book serves as an amateurish survey of Russian history. You'll need the Black Book of Communism to temper the revisionism if you get this book. I'd like to unbuy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Barely worthwhile... Classic revisionism on Stalinist crimes
Review: As somewhat of a history buff, I bought this book for superficial reasons: neat cover and the bold ambitious title. In hindsight, I should have read more reviews. This book covers Russia from early Czarist times of Ivan the Terrible through the Sickle-and-Hammer days of the Russian Revolution. It features a number of short essay chapters from various contributors. Like a previous reviewer indicated, this book focuses more on the leaders and leadership than anything else. While this might be an easy way to approach an historically authoritarian country's history, it's not the best way. At times, certain chapters make for a totally dry and boring read. However, there were some interesting insights by a few writers, but marginal in number. Considering the horrific revelations of Soviet Russia's totalitarian past, the revisonist interpertation on Stalinism is a real crime. Especially since this book was so ambitious with it's 'in-depth' probing the Stalinist era. Yet, it only glosses over the surface, while downplaying and denying communist crimes all the way. Also it is full of pictures, but mostly those Stalinist-era propaganda variety that hails ambitious production and public works projects. At best, this book serves as an amateurish survey of Russian history. You'll need the Black Book of Communism to temper the revisionism if you get this book. I'd like to unbuy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: For Those With Strong Interest in the Subject
Review: Gregory Freeze is an erudite scholar, and it shows with the current volume. This is not a popular book. It is written for those with some knowledge of the subject, who will appreciate the possibilities and limitations of serious historical reviews of events most of us find difficult to understand. However, understand these events we must, as Russia is not the only country to thrive on misinformation and misunderstanding of its place in the world.
Rating:
Summary: For Those With Strong Interest in the Subject
Review: Gregory Freeze is an erudite scholar, and it shows with the current volume. This is not a popular book. It is written for those with some knowledge of the subject, who will appreciate the possibilities and limitations of serious historical reviews of events most of us find difficult to understand. However, understand these events we must, as Russia is not the only country to thrive on misinformation and misunderstanding of its place in the world.
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately, a boring book
Review: Gregory Freeze's Russian History is a wonderful collection of facts and templates, names and places, charts and graphs, written in a very dry academical style. Partly this is due to the publishers who have shown a penchant for drab Western historiograpy, partly this is due to the book being a collection of various academical "specialists" in Russian history. For instance, almost all the contributors are from American universities, and it being a fact well known that no one knows Russia better than Americans, it is no wonder that the book lacks passion. One is reminded of why Marxist ideological alienation and suffering triumphed in Russia whereas the tediums of Western tenured universities have without fail failed of impact. When this book does verge on enthusiasm, it is more for the arisocratic exploits of Peter the Great, not for the peasants who got an apartment flat and a warm meal just this century. This is a great book for the when and where, for the why try fasting.
Rating:
Summary: Superficial, but all right introduction.
Review: This is not the book if you already know quite a lot about russian history. This is indeed the beginners book, however the book is not well written. It gives you a survey, but no satisfaction.
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