Author(s): Shishkin, Mikhail, Ipsen, Gesche,
Binding: Paperback,
Date of Publication: 15/02/2024,
Pagination: 256 pages,
Series: N/A,
Imprint: riverrun,
Published By: Quercus Publishing,
Book Classification: Russia
Dimensions: 128 x 198 x 20mm
Weight: 184g
ISBN13\EAN\SKU: 9781529427813

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In his timely new book, Mikhail Shishkin, argues that Russia is not a 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma': we just don't know enough about it. So what is the real story behind Putin's autocratic regime and its invasion of UkraineIn My Russia: War or Peace Shishkin traces the roots of Russia's problems, from the 'Kievan Rus' via the Grand Duchy of Moscow, empire, revolution and Cold War, to the now thirty-year-old Russian Federation. He explores the uneasy relationship between state and citizens, explains Russian attitudes to people's rights and democracy, and proposes that there are really two Russian peoples: the disillusioned and disaffected, who suffer from 'slave mentality', and those who embrace 'European' values and try to stand up to oppression.

Both deeply personal and taking a broader historical view, My Russia is a passionate, eye-opening account of a state entangled in a complex and bloody past, as well as a love letter to a conflicted country. Will Russia continue its vicious circle of upheaval and autocracy, or will its people find a way out of history - and how can we help