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Russia
- The Story of War
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
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Russia
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Summary
No nation is a stranger to war, but for Russians war is a central part of who they are. Their "motherland" has been the battlefield where some of the largest armies have clashed, the most savage battles have been fought, the highest death tolls paid. Having prevailed over Mongol hordes and vanquished Napoleon and Hitler, many Russians believe no other nation has sacrificed so much for the world. In Russia: The Story of War, Gregory Carleton explores how this belief has produced a myth of exceptionalism that pervades Russian culture and politics and has helped forge a national identity rooted in war. While outsiders view Russia as an aggressor, Russians themselves see a country surrounded by enemies. Time and again history has called upon Russia to play the savior - of Europe, of Christianity, of civilization itself - and its victories have come at immense cost. In this telling, even defeats lose their sting. Isolation becomes a virtuous destiny and the whole of its bloody history a point of pride. War is the unifying thread of Russia's national epic, one that transcends its wrenching ideological transformations. As Putin's Russia asserts itself in ever bolder ways, knowing how the story of its war-torn past shapes the present is essential to understanding its self-image and worldview.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Markus Goransson
- 21-07-23
a fascinating and incredibly knowledgeable book
One of my very best listens on audible. Carleton has masterful knowledge of the place of war and war myth in Russia and an engaging style and very dry wit to boot. the narration by James Cameron Stewart is sublime and fits the text extremely well.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-11-21
General look into the Russian military mythos
This book is really good at explaining the culture of the Russian military and how this culture sees warfare. Really good book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Tom Hanna
- 08-08-19
Very informative.
This book goes deep into the mindset of a people who, as a whole, feel betrayed by the West since the Mongol invasion in the time of Ivan the Terrible. It describes in plain language the sacrifices given in defense of the WW2 loss of Russian lives. This was unprecedented on a scale almost unimaginable. When put in perspective, the American lost fewer lives in the whole of the WW11 conflict than were lost in Leningrad alone. Why has the West now forgotten the debt owed to Russia?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David O'Reilly
- 24-08-23
Fascinating and illuminating
This book gives a vivid insight into the history of Russia at war opening a new vista and perspective on sometimes long held myths promoted in the
west
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Alexander Rufus
- 26-05-24
Russia - Aggressor or Victim? Paranoid or Justified
This is not a pro-Russian apologist time, it does however endeavour to get into the Russian psyche and help the Western observer understand how and why Russia behaves as it does on the international stage. With the 2022 invasion of the Ukraine, the text would benefit from an update but the war only serves to evidence the points made throughout the book. So much is unwrapped by the author, it is impossible to cover in a review but Carleton gives examples through Russian/Soviet history to illustrate every point made. Highly recommended.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Stephen
- 23-08-23
Russophobia at its finest
This so-called history is written through Globalist-colored spectacles.
It bows down to the west's MSM propaganda
You have been warned...
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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- dean mackie
- 08-01-23
if you want a unbiased history of russia keep away
call this a history is a joke comic books are more accurate and unbiased
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1 person found this helpful