Russia Audiobooks | History

Into Siberia: George Kennan's Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia

In the late nineteenth century, close diplomatic relations existed between the United States and Russia. All that changed when George Kennan went to Siberia in 1885 to investigate the exile system and his eyes were opened to the brutality Russia was wielding to suppress dissent. Over ten months Kennan traveled eight thousand miles, mostly in horse-drawn carriages, sleighs, or on horseback. He endured suffocating sandstorms in the summer and blizzards in the winter. His interviews with convicts and political exiles revealed how Russia ran on the fuel of inflicted pain and fear. Prisoners in the mines were chained day and night to their wheelbarrows as punishment. Babies in exile parties froze to death in their mothers' arms. Kennan came to call the exiles' experience in Siberia a 'perfect hell of misery.' After returning to the United States, Kennan set out to generate public outrage over the plight of the exiles, writing the renowned Siberia and the Exile System. He then went on a nine-year lecture tour to describe the suffering of the Siberian exiles, intensifying the newly emerging diplomatic conflicts between the two countries which last to this day.

Gregory J. Wallance (Author), Daniel Henning (Narrator)

Audiobook

Getting Russia Right: 1st Edition

As US-Russian relations scrape the depths of cold-war antagonism, the promise of partnership that beguiled American administrations during the first post-Soviet decades increasingly appears to have been false from the start. Why did American leaders persist in pursuing it? Was there another path that would have produced more constructive relations or better prepared Washington to face the challenge Russia poses today? With a practitioner's eye honed during decades of work on Russian affairs, Thomas Graham deftly traces the evolution of opposing ideas of national purpose that created an inherent tension in relations. Getting Russia Right identifies the blind spots that prevented Washington from seeing Russia as it really is and crafting a policy to advance American interests without provoking an aggressive Russian response. Distilling the Putin factor to reveal the contours of the Russia challenge facing the United States whenever he departs the scene, Graham lays out a compelling way to deal with it so that the United States can continue to advance its interests in a rapidly changing world.

Thomas Graham (Author), Daniel Henning (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Great Northern War: The History of the Conflict that Made Russia the Dominant Empire in the Balt

The Great Northern War, fought from 1700-1721, gets its name from the fact the war focused on the Baltic, but the battlefields extended into Germany and deep into Poland and Ukraine. Sweden was a military power with a small empire in the Baltic, while Russia was still a landlocked place, backward when compared to the rest of Europe, not very powerful, and highly xenophobic. The Poland-Lithuanian Commonwealth was still powerful, and the Cossacks were still free. Moreover, despite the fact the Ottoman Empire was weakened, it held sway in the Balkans and deep into Eastern Europe, and the Krim Tatars were still raiding into Ukraine, Russia, and Poland for slaves. The Great Northern War would involve the Ottomans and the Tatars as well. Given the length of the conflict, perhaps it’s not surprising that other Western European kingdoms ended up in the mix. Brandenburg-Prussia was involved in the later phases of the war - Frederick William was an elector of Brandenburg and had just been granted the right (by the Holy Roman Emperor) to call himself king in Prussia. He held both titles, but there was still a formal separation between Brandenburg and Prussia. Frederick William was strongly interested in acquiring some or all of Pomerania, a region on the Baltic coast, particularly in acquiring a port, which would eliminate paying Swedish tolls in Swedish-controlled ports. Ultimately, the most important aspect of the war is that it laid the foundations for the Russian Empire. By 1718, the Russians had conquered most of Finland, the port of Riga, and the Swedish city of Vyborg. These gains in the Baltic Sea strengthened the burgeoning Russian Empire and provided ports and access to the rich resources of Finland, including valuable meat and lumber. Peter also proved to be a rather benevolent conqueror, allowing these regions to maintain both their faith and culture.

Charles River Editors (Author), Kc Wayman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Russian Revolution: An Enthralling Guide to a Major Event in the History of Russia

Are you curious to learn what set Russia on its present-day course? The Russian Revolution is a perfect example of how history can contract and become exceedingly dense and complex. Untangling the Russian Revolution (in fact, Russian revolutions) must start by considering events that happened centuries before February 1917. Only in this way can we understand the multitude of events compressed into the short months of the decisive year 1917. The Russian Revolution, apart from the Chinese Revolution, is perhaps the biggest social experiment the world has ever known. Suddenly, millions of people found themselves living in a country led by fervent Marxists who had grand plans not only for their country but also for all humanity. Finally, the Russian Revolution continues to shape global politics, with modern-day Russia built directly on the ruins of the great Communist revolution. In this audiobook, you will learn about: - The early days of the Russian Empire, the legendary Ruriks, and how Russians accepted Christianity. - The radicalization of social movements, personified in the typical anarchist, Sergey Nechaev. - Bloody precursors of the Russian Revolution, such as the assassination of Emperor Alexander II by anarchists. - The inert and anachronistic Nicholas II Romanov who unwittingly contributed to his empire’s downfall. - Fervent, feverous, and audacious Vladimir Lenin who led the revolution toward its radical turn in October 1917. - The chaos of the Russian Civil War and the birth of war communism and the Red Terror. - The aftermath of the Revolution: Lenin’s sudden illness and the political struggles of his successors. - The rise of Stalin, who would lead the USSR into its most glorious and horrifying moments. Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about the Russian Revolution!

Billy Wellman (Author), Jay Herbert (Narrator)

Audiobook

Mikhail Gorbachev: The Life and Legacy of the Soviet Union’s Last Leader

After going through three elderly leaders in three years, Mikhail Gorbachev was chosen as the new General Secretary of the Soviet Union at the relatively youg age of 54 in March 1985. Gorbachev hoped to build the Soviet economy to relieve the persistent shortages of consumer goods it faced, which were caused by enormous military spending of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev tried to introduce some economic reforms, but they were blocked by communist hardliners. Gorbachev then came to the belief that the Soviet economy could not improved without political reform as well. In comparison with other Soviet leaders, Gorbachev was leader of the USSR for a relatively short period, but the changes that took place under his leadership were monumental, including some that were intended and others that were unforeseen. Gorbachev oversaw the end of the Cold War and the peaceful transition away from communism in Central and Eastern Europe, and he ended the war in Afghanistan and many other proxy conflicts in the developing world. Gorbachev improved relations with the West and developed enough trust with President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush to decommission thousands of nuclear weapons. He also liberalized the political environment within the Soviet Union itself, increased accountability, and brought in a certain degree of democracy. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for these efforts in 1990, but his regime also left a legacy of turbulence and destruction in its wake. As a result of his policies, many Soviet people rose up against the status quo, demanding national self-determination and reviving old grievances. Gorbachev could not prevent the USSR from disbanding at the end of 1991, leaving much of the country’s economy in ruins and nationalist and ethnic conflicts that are still unresolved today.

Charles River Editors (Author), Kc Wayman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Blood on the Snow: The Russian Revolution 1914-1924

'A terrific book about a terrifying subject by the best historian of Russia working today' - Michael Burleigh, author of The Third Reich In Blood on the Snow, Robert Service returns to the subject that has formed the backbone of his long and distinguished career: the Russian Revolution. For Service, the great unanswered question is how to reconcile the two vital narratives that underpin the extraordinary but troubled events of 1917. One puts the blame squarely on Tsar Nicholas II and on Alexander Kerensky's provisional government that deposed him. The other is the view from the bottom, that of the workers and peasants who wanted democratic socialism, not the Bolshevik dictatorship imposed by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and his successors. Service's vivid and revisionist account spans the period from the outbreak of the First World War to Lenin's death in 1924. In it, he reveals that key seeds of the revolution were sown by the Tsar's decision to join the war against Germany in 1914. He shows with brutal clarity how those events played out, eventually leading to the establishment of the totalitarian Soviet regime, which would endure for the next seven decades. Nicholas II, Kerensky and Lenin are to the fore, but Service enriches his narrative by drawing on little-known diaries of those such as the Vologda peasant Alexander Zamaraev, the NCO Alexei Shtukaturov and the Moscow accounts clerk Nikita Okunev. Through the testimony of these 'ordinary' people, Service traces the tortuous path that Russia took through war, revolution and civil war.

Robert Service (Author), Leighton Pugh (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Lost Peace: How The West Failed to Prevent a Second Cold War

The end of the Cold War was an opportunity-our inability to seize it has led to today's renewed era of great power competition 1989 heralded a unique prospect for an enduring global peace, as harsh ideological divisions and conflicts began to be resolved. Now, three decades on, that peace has been lost. With war in Ukraine and increasing tensions between China, Russia, and the West, great power politics once again dominates the world stage. But could it have been different? Richard Sakwa shows how the years before the first mass invasion of Ukraine represented a hiatus in conflict rather than a lasting accord-and how, since then, we have been in a 'Second Cold War'. Tracing the mistakes on both sides that led to the current crisis, Sakwa considers the resurgence of China and Russia and the disruptions and ambitions of the liberal order that opened up catastrophic new lines of conflict. This is a vital, strongly-argued account of how the world lost its chance at peace, and instead saw the return of war in Europe, global rivalries, and nuclear brinkmanship.

Richard Sakwa (Author), Stewart Crank (Narrator)

Audiobook

What's Cooking in the Kremlin: A Modern History of Russia Through the Kitchen Door

A history of Russia in the twentieth century unlike any other - from the Russian revolution to the oligarchs of the '90s, via the Holodomor, the siege of Leningrad and Chernobyl. What's Cooking in the Kremlin is a tale of feast and famine told from the kitchen, the narrative of one of the most complex, troubling and fascinating nations on earth. We will travel through Putin's Russia with acclaimed author Witold Szablowski as he learns the story of the chef who was shot alongside the Romonovs, and the Ukrainian woman who survived the Great Famine created by Stalin and still weeps with guilt; the soldiers on the Eastern front who roasted snails and made nettle soup as they fought back Hitler's army; the woman who cooked for Yuri Gagarin and the cosmonauts, and the man who ran the Kremlin kitchen during the years of plenty under Brezhnev. We will hear from the women who fed the firefighters at Chernobyl, and the story of the Crimean Tatars, who returned to their homeland after decades of exile, only to flee once Russia invaded Crimea again, in 2014. In tracking down these remarkable stories and voices, Witold Szablowski has produced an account of modern Russia unlike any other - an audiobook that reminds us of the human stories behind the history.

Witold Szablowski (Author), Rupert Bush, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Soviet Sixties

The story of a remarkable era of reform, controversy, optimism, and Cold War confrontation in the Soviet Union Beginning with the death of Stalin in 1953, the 'sixties' era in the Soviet Union was just as vibrant and transformative as in the West. The ideological romanticism of the revolutionary years was revived, with renewed emphasis on egalitarianism, equality, and the building of a communist utopia. Mass terror was reined in, great victories were won in the space race, Stalinist cultural dogmas were challenged, and young people danced to jazz and rock and roll. Robert Hornsby examines this remarkable and surprising period, showing that, even as living standards rose, aspects of earlier days endured. Censorship and policing remained tight, and massacres during protests in Tbilisi and Novocherkassk, alongside invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, showed the limits of reform. The rivalry with the United States reached perhaps its most volatile point, friendship with China turned to bitter enmity, and global decolonization opened up new horizons for the USSR in the developing world. These tumultuous years transformed the lives of Soviet citizens and helped reshape the wider world.

Robert Hornsby (Author), Peter Noble (Narrator)

Audiobook

Revolution Road Trip

Kelly Kimball, Trish Whitcomb, Andrew Frank, and Barry Fadem met as political consultants, each passionate about the power and potential of democracy throughout the world. A trip to Eastern Europe in 1990 was supposed to be a chance to experience the culture they’d only witnessed from afar. But as the first election approached in Czechoslovakia, the friends and counterparts found themselves in the middle of history—and not just as witnesses. In Revolution Road Trip, Kimball, Whitcomb, Frank, and Fadem share their story of two weeks spent in the heart of Eastern Europe during the fall of the Iron Curtain. In the right place at the right time, their guidance during a pivotal election allowed them a front-row seat to a complex, bygone era. With entertaining anecdotes and enlightening perspectives, Revolution Road Trip provides a fascinating look at democracy in action and the impact of a few on the lives of millions.

Andrew Frank, Barry Fadem, Kelly Kimball, Trish Whitcomb (Author), Linda Morris, Phil Morris (Narrator)

Audiobook

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Most Decisive Land Battles: The History of Austerlitz, the French Invasion of R

Nearly 50 years after Napoleon met his Waterloo, generals across the West continued to study his tactics and engage their armies the same way armies fought during the Napoleonic Era. Despite advances in military technology and the advent of railroads for transportation, all of which made defensive warfare more effective, acclaimed military geniuses like Robert E. Lee used flank attacks and infantry charges against superior numbers in an effort to win decisive victories, and it would not be until World War I that concepts of modern warfare made the Napoleonic Era of the early 19th century outdated. For those questioning why generals continued using tactics from the Napoleonic Era even as technology changed the battlefield, the Battle of Austerlitz may provide the best answer. Napoleon is regarded as one of history’s greatest generals, and Austerlitz was his greatest victory. In 1805, Britain, Austria, and Russia allied together to form the Third Coalition against the French, and the Third Coalition’s forces consisted of armies from Austria and Russia, with Britain providing naval support as well as its financial powers. Napoleon had already defeated and mostly destroyed an Austrian army in October at Ulm before it could link up with the Russians, setting the stage for the Battle of Austerlitz to be the culmination of the war against the Third Coalition as a whole in early December. Despite the smashing victory at Ulm, Napoleon’s French army would still be well outnumbered at Austerlitz by a joint Russo-Austrian army in a battle that would also come to be known as the Battle of Three Emperors. At Waterloo, however, it would end disastrously, as Napoleon’s armies were unable to dislodge Wellington and unable to keep the Prussians from linking up with the British. The battle would end with the French suffering nearly 60% casualties, the end of Napoleon’s reign, and the restructuring of the European map.

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Caufield (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Los Romanov: Un apasionante repaso a la Casa Romanov

Con algunos de los nombres más memorables de la historia, la dinastía Romanov es una de esas familias reales cuyo legado solo puede ser rivalizado por unos pocos. Gobernando Rusia durante algo más de trescientos años, desde el siglo XVII hasta principios del XX, los zares Romanov y, en raros pero inolvidables casos, las emperatrices dominaron los paisajes políticos de su época y forjaron una de las dinastías más legendarias de todos los tiempos. De hecho, Rusia, el gran y poderoso Estado nación que conocemos hoy, se creó en gran parte gracias a los esfuerzos de gobernantes Romanov como Pedro el Grande o Catalina la Grande. La familia Romanov tiene garantizado para siempre un lugar en los libros de historia rusa, europea e incluso mundial. Sumergirse en la historia de una dinastía tan conocida es un placer para cualquiera que sienta pasión por aprender más sobre Rusia. Este es un anticipo de lo que encontrará en este libro: - Una detallada historia del surgimiento de la dinastía Romanov, que tuvo lugar durante el periodo quizá más turbulento de la existencia de Rusia. - La evolución social y política a lo largo de la dinastía Romanov, desde Mijaíl Romanov hasta Nicolás II. - Una inmersión profunda en los conflictos externos e internos que dieron forma a Rusia bajo los Romanov. - Un apasionante recorrido por la transformación cultural de Rusia, que pasó de ser un país atrasado a una superpotencia mundial empeñada en lograr una clara identidad europea. - El papel de los Romanov en varios acontecimientos mundiales, como la Primera Guerra Mundial y la Revolución rusa de 1917. - El legado de la dinastía Romanov. - ¡Y mucho más! Desplácese hacia arriba y haga clic en el botón «Añadir a la cesta» para comenzar hoy mismo su viaje al pasado.

Billy Wellman (Author), Carlos Verne (Narrator)

Audiobook

Russia Audiobooks in History

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