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Russia and the Russians
by Geoffrey Hosking • 2001
Russia built an empire but never lasting institutions. Geography made autocracy feel like survival.
3.97
604
Russia and the Russians Summary
Russia and the Russians 95%
Russia built an empire but never lasting institutions. Geography made autocracy feel like survival.
by Geoffrey Hosking 2001
3.97
604 ratings
The Revolution Betrayed
by Leon Trotsky • 1937
Not socialism, not capitalism. Trotsky charts the third system the Russian Revolution produced.
4.09
2k+
The Revolution Betrayed Summary
The Revolution Betrayed 95%
Not socialism, not capitalism. Trotsky charts the third system the Russian Revolution produced.
by Leon Trotsky 1937
4.09
2k+ ratings
Socialism Betrayed
by Roger Keeran • 2004
The Soviet collapse wasn't inevitable: a pro-market faction inside the Party dismantled it.
4.37
545
Socialism Betrayed Summary
Socialism Betrayed 95%
The Soviet collapse wasn't inevitable: a pro-market faction inside the Party dismantled it.
by Roger Keeran 2004
4.37
545 ratings
Lenin
by Robert Service • 2000
How a bookish, emotionally stunted provincial became the ruthless architect of the Soviet state.
3.84
2k+
Lenin Summary
Lenin 95%
How a bookish, emotionally stunted provincial became the ruthless architect of the Soviet state.
by Robert Service 2000
3.84
2k+ ratings
The Foundations of Leninism
by Joseph Stalin • 1924
The manual Lenin left behind: why imperialist decay demands a new kind of revolutionary party.
4.05
2k+
The Foundations of Leninism Summary
The Foundations of Leninism 94%
The manual Lenin left behind: why imperialist decay demands a new kind of revolutionary party.
by Joseph Stalin 1924
4.05
2k+ ratings
Always With Honour
by Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel • 1963
The White Army's last commander: rebuilding in Crimea, one final campaign, and exodus by sea.
4.47
614
Always With Honour Summary
Always With Honour 94%
The White Army's last commander: rebuilding in Crimea, one final campaign, and exodus by sea.
by Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel 1963
4.47
614 ratings
What Is to Be Done?
by Vladimir Lenin • 1902
Workers alone only win wage fights. A secret vanguard must bring revolutionary thought from outside.
4.11
6k+
What Is to Be Done? Summary
What Is to Be Done? 94%
Workers alone only win wage fights. A secret vanguard must bring revolutionary thought from outside.
by Vladimir Lenin 1902
4.11
6k+ ratings
Russian History
by Geoffrey Hosking • 2012
Constant invasions, one Russian answer: centralize power. The pattern from the Mongols to Putin.
3.64
769
Russian History Summary
Russian History 94%
Constant invasions, one Russian answer: centralize power. The pattern from the Mongols to Putin.
by Geoffrey Hosking 2012
3.64
769 ratings
Kremlin Rising
by Peter Baker • 2005
Putin didn't seize Russia. Russians handed it to him, desperate for order after a decade of chaos.
3.90
332
Kremlin Rising Summary
Kremlin Rising 93%
Putin didn't seize Russia. Russians handed it to him, desperate for order after a decade of chaos.
by Peter Baker 2005
3.90
332 ratings
The Age of Capital, 1848–1875
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1975
After 1848, capitalism conquered the globe. Railways, gold, and free trade were its weapons.
4.27
5k+
The Age of Capital, 1848–1875 Summary
The Age of Capital, 1848–1875 93%
After 1848, capitalism conquered the globe. Railways, gold, and free trade were its weapons.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1975
4.27
5k+ ratings
Secondhand Time
by Svetlana Alexievich • 2013
A civilization vanished with the USSR, leaving millions unprepared for the freedom they craved.
4.46
22k+
Secondhand Time Summary
Secondhand Time 93%
A civilization vanished with the USSR, leaving millions unprepared for the freedom they craved.
by Svetlana Alexievich 2013
4.46
22k+ ratings
Russia's Fate Through Russian Eyes
by Heyward Isham • 2019
Russians who dismantled communism discovered that building its replacement was the harder half.
Russia's Fate Through Russian Eyes Summary
Russia's Fate Through Russian Eyes 93%
Russians who dismantled communism discovered that building its replacement was the harder half.
by Heyward Isham 2019
Rasputin and the Fall of the Romanovs
by Colin Wilson • 1964
The mad monk wasn't a fraud: his powers were real, and they brought down a dynasty.
3.41
234
Rasputin and the Fall of the Romanovs Summary
Rasputin and the Fall of the Romanovs 92%
The mad monk wasn't a fraud: his powers were real, and they brought down a dynasty.
by Colin Wilson 1964
3.41
234 ratings
Main Currents Of Marxism
by Leszek Kołakowski • 2005
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
4.25
455
Main Currents Of Marxism Summary
Main Currents Of Marxism 92%
Marxism's own contradictions made authoritarianism inevitable, not an aberration.
by Leszek Kołakowski 2005
4.25
455 ratings
The Sword and the Shield
by Christopher Andrew • 1985
One KGB archivist smuggled out the foreign intelligence files, rewriting Cold War history.
3.93
2k+
The Sword and the Shield Summary
The Sword and the Shield 92%
One KGB archivist smuggled out the foreign intelligence files, rewriting Cold War history.
by Christopher Andrew 1985
3.93
2k+ ratings
The Invention of Russia
by Arkady Ostrovsky • 2015
Television became the new Kremlin: how post-Soviet Russia was built on air, not on law.
4.01
2k+
The Invention of Russia Summary
The Invention of Russia 92%
Television became the new Kremlin: how post-Soviet Russia was built on air, not on law.
by Arkady Ostrovsky 2015
4.01
2k+ ratings
Collapse
by Vladislav M. Zubok • 2021
Gorbachev's reforms were meant to save the USSR. Instead, they blew it apart.
4.25
2k+
Collapse Summary
Collapse 92%
Gorbachev's reforms were meant to save the USSR. Instead, they blew it apart.
by Vladislav M. Zubok 2021
4.25
2k+ ratings
The Return of the Russian Leviathan
by Sergei Medvedev • 2017
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
4.06
337
The Return of the Russian Leviathan Summary
The Return of the Russian Leviathan 92%
Governance traded for spectacle: how resentment and distorted history built Putin's Russia.
by Sergei Medvedev 2017
4.06
337 ratings
The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn • 1973
A secret network of camps swallowed millions on quotas, using bodies until nothing remained.
4.33
35k+
The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 Summary
The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 92%
A secret network of camps swallowed millions on quotas, using bodies until nothing remained.
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 1973
4.33
35k+ ratings
España partida en dos
by Julián Casanova • 2013
A coup meant to topple Spain's Republic failed. What followed was decided by Hitler and Mussolini.
4.16
249
España partida en dos Summary
España partida en dos 92%
A coup meant to topple Spain's Republic failed. What followed was decided by Hitler and Mussolini.
by Julián Casanova 2013
4.16
249 ratings
Black Garden
by Thomas de Waal • 2003
One Soviet province started an ethnic war in 1988 by voting to secede. The stalemate remains.
4.25
835
Black Garden Summary
Black Garden 92%
One Soviet province started an ethnic war in 1988 by voting to secede. The stalemate remains.
by Thomas de Waal 2003
4.25
835 ratings
Motherland
by Julia Ioffe • 2025
How Russian autocracy was built on women's bodies and labor, from Bolshevik liberation to Putin.
4.53
3k+
Motherland Summary
Motherland 92%
How Russian autocracy was built on women's bodies and labor, from Bolshevik liberation to Putin.
by Julia Ioffe 2025
4.53
3k+ ratings
Putinism
by Walter Laqueur • 2015
Oil wealth, Orthodox faith, and a KGB veteran filled the vacuum the Soviet Union left behind.
3.32
260
Putinism Summary
Putinism 92%
Oil wealth, Orthodox faith, and a KGB veteran filled the vacuum the Soviet Union left behind.
by Walter Laqueur 2015
3.32
260 ratings
The Gun
by C.J. Chivers • 2010
Designed by a Soviet committee to crush uprisings, the AK-47 armed global terror.
3.95
3k+
The Gun Summary
The Gun 91%
Designed by a Soviet committee to crush uprisings, the AK-47 armed global terror.
by C.J. Chivers 2010
3.95
3k+ ratings
Unhumans
by Jack Posobiec • 2024
The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.
3.99
1k+
Unhumans Summary
Unhumans 91%
The playbook that toppled societies from Robespierre to Mao is now targeting the West.
by Jack Posobiec 2024
3.99
1k+ ratings
The Picnic
by Matthew Longo • 2024
August 1989: a picnic on the Hungarian border. The gate opened, and hundreds ran.
4.22
608
The Picnic Summary
The Picnic 91%
August 1989: a picnic on the Hungarian border. The gate opened, and hundreds ran.
by Matthew Longo 2024
4.22
608 ratings
How to Change the World
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 2011
The regimes that claimed Marx fell. After 2008, his analysis of capitalism became inescapable again.
3.88
988
How to Change the World Summary
How to Change the World 91%
The regimes that claimed Marx fell. After 2008, his analysis of capitalism became inescapable again.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 2011
3.88
988 ratings
Dressed Up for a Riot
by Michael Idov • 2018
a GQ editor's Moscow: protests fill squares, Pussy Riot faces trial, and cheese turns patriotic.
3.62
274
Dressed Up for a Riot Summary
Dressed Up for a Riot 91%
a GQ editor's Moscow: protests fill squares, Pussy Riot faces trial, and cheese turns patriotic.
by Michael Idov 2018
3.62
274 ratings
Winter Is Coming
by Garry Kasparov • 2015
Western money and misplaced goodwill built Putin's war machine: a warning from the front lines.
4.04
4k+
Winter Is Coming Summary
Winter Is Coming 91%
Western money and misplaced goodwill built Putin's war machine: a warning from the front lines.
by Garry Kasparov 2015
4.04
4k+ ratings
The Road to Unfreedom
by Timothy Snyder • 2018
The 2016 election was the target of a Russian authoritarian project decades in the making.
4.37
11k+
The Road to Unfreedom Summary
The Road to Unfreedom 91%
The 2016 election was the target of a Russian authoritarian project decades in the making.
by Timothy Snyder 2018
4.37
11k+ ratings
To End All Wars
by Adam Hochschild • 2011
A general led Britain's army. His sister led its pacifists. The Great War as family feud.
4.14
9k+
To End All Wars Summary
To End All Wars 91%
A general led Britain's army. His sister led its pacifists. The Great War as family feud.
by Adam Hochschild 2011
4.14
9k+ ratings
Back on the Road (Otra Vez)
by Ernesto Che Guevara • 2000
Guatemala fell while he watched. In Mexico, Castro asked him to join a revolution.
3.72
861
Back on the Road (Otra Vez) Summary
Back on the Road (Otra Vez) 91%
Guatemala fell while he watched. In Mexico, Castro asked him to join a revolution.
by Ernesto Che Guevara 2000
3.72
861 ratings
Arsenals of Folly
by Richard Rhodes • 2007
Two leaders came within one word of eliminating all nuclear weapons, then lost the moment.
3.96
856
Arsenals of Folly Summary
Arsenals of Folly 91%
Two leaders came within one word of eliminating all nuclear weapons, then lost the moment.
by Richard Rhodes 2007
3.96
856 ratings
Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World
by Rebecca E. Karl • 2009
He freed a nation, starved a generation, and the Party still carries his portrait.
3.83
284
Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World Summary
Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World 91%
He freed a nation, starved a generation, and the Party still carries his portrait.
by Rebecca E. Karl 2009
3.83
284 ratings
Once Upon a Time in Russia
by Ben Mezrich • 2015
A mathematician, a protege, and a poisoned teacup: the making and unmaking of Russia's oligarchs.
3.86
5k+
Once Upon a Time in Russia Summary
Once Upon a Time in Russia 91%
A mathematician, a protege, and a poisoned teacup: the making and unmaking of Russia's oligarchs.
by Ben Mezrich 2015
3.86
5k+ ratings
Contesting Democracy
by Jan-Werner Müller • 2006
It wasn't democracy versus its enemies. It was a fight over what 'democracy' actually meant.
4.00
159
Contesting Democracy Summary
Contesting Democracy 91%
It wasn't democracy versus its enemies. It was a fight over what 'democracy' actually meant.
by Jan-Werner Müller 2006
4.00
159 ratings
Modern Times
by Paul Johnson • 1983
Einstein and Freud dismantled the old moral universe. Into the void stepped the totalitarians.
4.29
3k+
Modern Times Summary
Modern Times 91%
Einstein and Freud dismantled the old moral universe. Into the void stepped the totalitarians.
by Paul Johnson 1983
4.29
3k+ ratings
The Berlin Wall
by Frederick Taylor • 2006
A midnight operation sealed a nation inside. The Wall bought the GDR time, not survival.
4.08
2k+
The Berlin Wall Summary
The Berlin Wall 91%
A midnight operation sealed a nation inside. The Wall bought the GDR time, not survival.
by Frederick Taylor 2006
4.08
2k+ ratings
The Socialist Manifesto
by Bhaskar Sunkara • 2019
Capitalism was an accident, socialism a response. A history of what followed, and what comes next.
3.62
2k+
The Socialist Manifesto Summary
The Socialist Manifesto 91%
Capitalism was an accident, socialism a response. A history of what followed, and what comes next.
by Bhaskar Sunkara 2019
3.62
2k+ ratings
Code Warriors
by Stephen Budiansky • 2016
Math, machines, and moral compromise: the NSA's secret Cold War against the Soviets.
3.72
760
Code Warriors Summary
Code Warriors 91%
Math, machines, and moral compromise: the NSA's secret Cold War against the Soviets.
by Stephen Budiansky 2016
3.72
760 ratings
Spin Dictators
by Sergei Guriev • 2022
Modern autocrats rule by deception, not terror. How they fake democracy and hide the violence.
3.94
1k+
Spin Dictators Summary
Spin Dictators 90%
Modern autocrats rule by deception, not terror. How they fake democracy and hide the violence.
by Sergei Guriev 2022
3.94
1k+ ratings
Killing Hope
by William Blum • 1995
For forty years, the CIA overthrew governments across the globe. The full ledger is in one book.
4.27
2k+
Killing Hope Summary
Killing Hope 90%
For forty years, the CIA overthrew governments across the globe. The full ledger is in one book.
by William Blum 1995
4.27
2k+ ratings
Libro dell'acqua
by Eduard Limonov • 2003
At 48, a Russian exile finds his war and grins, documenting his self-made legend.
3.56
259
Libro dell'acqua Summary
Libro dell'acqua 90%
At 48, a Russian exile finds his war and grins, documenting his self-made legend.
by Eduard Limonov 2003
3.56
259 ratings
The Dark Valley
by Piers Brendon • 2000
The 1930s: a single global story of economic collapse, appeasement, and terror feeding the next war.
4.18
624
The Dark Valley Summary
The Dark Valley 90%
The 1930s: a single global story of economic collapse, appeasement, and terror feeding the next war.
by Piers Brendon 2000
4.18
624 ratings
Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War"
by Patrick J. Buchanan • 2008
Britain's empire fell not to war but to a diplomatic blunder that handed the world to its rivals.
4.21
2k+
Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War" Summary
Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War" 90%
Britain's empire fell not to war but to a diplomatic blunder that handed the world to its rivals.
by Patrick J. Buchanan 2008
4.21
2k+ ratings
House of Trump, House of Putin
by Craig Unger • 2018
Trump's condos laundered billions for the Russian mob, tied to Putin through a single crime boss.
4.02
2k+
House of Trump, House of Putin Summary
House of Trump, House of Putin 90%
Trump's condos laundered billions for the Russian mob, tied to Putin through a single crime boss.
by Craig Unger 2018
4.02
2k+ ratings
You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
by Howard Zinn • 1994
History never stops, and silence is a political act: a memoir of war, racism, and radicalization.
4.34
4k+
You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train Summary
You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train 90%
History never stops, and silence is a political act: a memoir of war, racism, and radicalization.
by Howard Zinn 1994
4.34
4k+ ratings
The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx • 1848
History is class war. Capitalism narrowed the fight to two sides, and one is learning the rules.
3.69
202k+
The Communist Manifesto Summary
The Communist Manifesto 90%
History is class war. Capitalism narrowed the fight to two sides, and one is learning the rules.
by Karl Marx 1848
3.69
202k+ ratings
The Billion Dollar Spy
by David E. Hoffman • 2015
A Soviet engineer's note gave the CIA billions in secrets; a single betrayal took it all away.
4.23
16k+
The Billion Dollar Spy Summary
The Billion Dollar Spy 90%
A Soviet engineer's note gave the CIA billions in secrets; a single betrayal took it all away.
by David E. Hoffman 2015
4.23
16k+ ratings
Homage to Catlonia
by George Orwell • 1938
Orwell fought Fascists in Spain and discovered a revolution being betrayed by its leftist allies.
4.09
72k+
Homage to Catlonia Summary
Homage to Catlonia 90%
Orwell fought Fascists in Spain and discovered a revolution being betrayed by its leftist allies.
by George Orwell 1938
4.09
72k+ ratings
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