The Penguin History of Modern Russia

From Tsarism to the Twenty-first Century

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Russia's modern history has been shaped by revolution, dictatorship, mass terror, economic upheaval and two world wars, and the country is still undergoing huge change.

In this acclaimed history, now revised and updated with a new introduction and final chapter, Robert Service offers a panoramic account of Russia's turbulent journey from the last years of the Romanov Empire to the present day. He traces the complex relationship between rulers and ruled through the reign of Nicholas II, the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, the rise of Lenin and Stalin, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Vladimir Putin's Russia.

This new edition examines the profound consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine, the transformation of its relations with the West, and its efforts to redefine its place in a rapidly changing international order. Throughout, Service shows how the legacies of empire, communism and state power continue to shape the country and its future.

A remarkable work ... [it] demands to be read
Adam Zamoyski, Spectator

About Robert Service

Robert Service was until his retirement professor of Russian History at Oxford University. He is a fellow of St Antony's College and an associate fellow of the Hoover Institution. His other books include biographies of Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky, a textbook on the Russian Revolution and Russia: Experiment with a People, from 1991 to the Present. He writes and broadcasts for the media and is a fellow of the British Academy.

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