Putin maintains a stranglehold on his position in Russia despite a near-ruinous invasion of Ukraine. The answer to how and why lies in Russian history, which Mark Galeotti details in this new book. With no naturally defensible borders and environmental factors constraining its economy, Russia has, over the centuries, found itself pitted against the preeminent military powers of the age, often at a technological disadvantage. To respond to these challenges, it has had to lean on the backs of its people, and so warand the need to be able to fight ithas shaped the country's trajectory, from tsar to commissar to president. National identity has been forged in the crucible of war. From the medieval kingdom of Rus, which fought against Scandinavian princes and Mongol emperors, to its own conflicts in empire-building in 19th-century Asia, to the defining wars of the 20th century. A weak post-Cold War Russia then turned to Putin, who created a new mood of belligerent triumphalism that led directly to the war in Ukraine. "Forged in War" is packed with contemporary accounts and dispels myths to present Russia's past and present from an insider's perspective.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Galeotti, Mark
Title
Forged in War
Details
English text, paperback, 16 plates with colour illustrations. 368 pages.
