R. Van Bergen’s compact history sweeps from the earliest Varangian settlements and the Kievan Rus through the Mongol conquest, the rise of Muscovy, and the Romanov dynasty’s transformation of Russia into a European great power. Aimed at a general readership, the narrative moves briskly while capturing the essential turning points of Russian political and cultural development.
The book is well-suited as an introductory overview for readers coming to Russian history for the first time, and provides useful background for understanding the social tensions that would culminate in the revolutions of the twentieth century.