The sponsorship of extremist politics in Europe. War in Ukraine. In recent years, Vladimir Putin’s Russia has waged a concerted campaign to expand its influence and undermine Western institutions. But how and why did all this come about, and who has orchestrated it?In Putin’s People, the investigative journalist and former Moscow correspondent Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and the small group of KGB men surrounding him rose to power and looted their country. Delving deep into the workings of Putin’s Kremlin, Belton accesses key inside players to reveal how Putin replaced the freewheeling tycoons of the Yeltsin era with a new generation of loyal oligarchs, who in turn subverted Russia’s economy and legal system and extended the Kremlin's reach into the United States and Europe. The result is a chilling and revelatory exposé of the KGB’s revanche―a story that begins in the murk of the Soviet collapse, when networks of operatives were able to siphon billions of dollars out of state enterprises and move their spoils into the West. Putin and his allies subsequently completed the agenda, reasserting Russian power while taking control of the economy for themselves, suppressing independent voices, and launching covert influence operations abroad.Ranging from Moscow and London to Switzerland and Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach―and assembling a colorful cast of characters to match―Putin’s People is the definitive account of how hopes for the new Russia went astray, with stark consequences for its inhabitants and, increasingly, the world.

    With colorful prose Suzanne Massie details the variety of Russian existence--tsars and serfs and merchant-princes and babushkas--no stone is left uncovered as she cross-references nearly a thousands years, writing with equal consideration of art, poetry, country-life, court-life, politics and its myriad games, myths and legends, influence "outside the sphere."

    Professor Weil introduces you to masterpieces such as Tolstoy's War and Peace, Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, Gogol's Dead Souls, Chekhov's The Seagull, Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, and many other great novels, stories, plays, and poems. In all, you plunge into more than 40 works by a dozen writers, from Aleksandr Pushkin in the 19th century to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in the 20th century. You also investigate the origin of Russian literature itself, which traces its lineage back to powerful epic poetry and beautiful renderings of the Bible into Slavic during the Middle Ages. All of these works are treated in translation, but Professor Weil does something very unusual in the literature-in-translation arena. For almost every passage that he quotes in English, he reads an extract in the original Russian, with a fluent accent and an actor's sense of drama.

    Weaving the history of the Chechnya conflict and the heritage of his own family into the visceral narrative, Dr. Baiev tells a tale that is shocking, heroic, and impossible to forget.

    These stories all deal with the common theme of the awakening of love at unpremeditated time and place, catching the victims off-guard. For the essential flavor of the tales, read Sunstroke, the story of a chance encounter on board ship; and A Night at Sea, perhaps the most unusual story of the group. Russian -- some about cultured people, some about peasants. The market is:- all who like exceptional short stories; all who are interested in getting the feel of one of the most famous writers.

    Beéche, founder and publisher of The European Royal History Journal, thought of the idea for an anthology on Russia's Grand Duchesses in 2004. Consequently, a companion book on the Russian Grand Dukes became imperative. The Grand Dukes: Sons & Grandsons of Russia's Tsars Since Paul I examines the biographies of nearly forty men whose birth gave them the right to one of the world's most prestigious positions. All sons of Russian tsars are covered in Volume I. The sons of collateral grand ducal branches are covered in Volume II. The biography of each of the Grand Dukes of Russia brings to life a deeply gripping human saga. These men were born into what then was one of the world's most powerful ruling dynasties. They were not all saints; they were not all demons - they were men whose birth showered them with untold privilege. Some used their birthright for the common good; some did not. Yet, they all remain amazingly intriguing, complex, complicated and conflicted human beings. At birth they were showered with untold privilege, including a lump sum of money placed in trust for them. By the time these funds were made available to a Grand Duke, the interest alone made them amazingly wealthy. Added to this benefit, they derived salaries from their military appointments, investments, real estate and inheritance. Thus, the Grand Dukes were able to maintain a lifestyle only surpassed by today's oligarchs and yesteryear's robber barons. They were consummate spenders in paintings, art, architecture, jewels, all while acting as sponsors of talented writers, thinkers, poets, ballerinas, among many others. One was a playwright of considerable talent. Another played a role in working toward the liberation of the serfs. One was a leading admiral with a fondness for "fast women and slow ships." Another Grand Duke lived a tortured existence as a closeted homosexual, yet became the father of nine children. Told in a two-volume set, this is their story.

    This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

    Tracing the origins of the Yiddish language and the growth and flowering of Yiddish literature, Gittleman shows how works written in Yiddish serve different functions in Germany, the shtetls of Eastern Europe, and America.

    

    

    

    ContentsDead SoulsThe Inspector GeneralTaras BulbaThe Best Russian Short Stories- With Nikolai Gogol and Others1137 pages.

    In 1916, The National City Bank of New York, the precursor of today’s Citibank, sent Rogers to Petrograd, the capital of the Russian Empire, to join a mission hell-bent on achieving American commercial preeminence in Russia––a vision set forth by the bank’s president, Frank Vanderlip, who enthusiastically declared “Russia’s need for capital is like Sahara’s thirst for water.” Now published, Rogers’ journal provides a fresh, riveting eyewitness account of that tumultuous time, his personal transformation under fire, the failure of America’s then largest financial institution to timely perceive and mitigate risk, and enduring insights and foreboding about today’s Russia. Into Russia’s Cauldron is a compelling story of insight, conviction and hubris which will appeal to Russian history students, business and finance professionals, and readers looking for stand out real life drama. “Fascinating, expertly told . . . A vivid account of a perceptive young American enthralled with an exotic Russia and a cautionary tale about corporate naivete in a little-understood land.” —John Tefft, former US ambassador to Russia"Steven Fisher, a long-time Citibanker, has framed a riveting and elegant diary account by one of his predecessors who lived through the Russian revolution in 1917. Into Russia’s Cauldron offers eloquent insights into a grim revolutionary drama. Astonishingly, rather than disaster, bankers saw opportunities, but wrong they were." — Dr. Anders Åslund, adjunct professor, Georgetown University “Steven Fisher’s meticulous presentation of Leighton W. Rogers’ spirited chronicle of the Russian revolution combines the freshness of eyewitness with the hard-won wisdom of a century’s hindsight. Into Russia’s Cauldron is a resonant and engrossing work, written with judicious affection and great style.” ­— Rachel Polonsky, author of Molotov’s Magic Lantern

    

    

    

      The founding of the first Persian Empire by the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BCE established one of the greatest world powers of antiquity. Extending from the borders of Greece to northern India, Persia was seen by the Greeks as a vastly wealthy and powerful rival and often as an existential threat. When the Macedonian king Alexander the Great finally conquered the Achaemenid Empire in 330 BCE, Greek culture spread throughout the Near East, but local dynasties—first the Parthian (247 BCE–224 CE) and then the Sasanian (224–651 CE)—reestablished themselves. The rise of the Roman Empire as a world power quickly brought it, too, into conflict with Persia, despite the common trade that flowed through their territories.  Persia addresses the political, intellectual, religious, and artistic relations between Persia, Greece, and Rome from the seventh century BCE to the Arab conquest of 651 CE. Essays by international scholars trace interactions and exchanges of influence. With more than three hundred images, this richly illustrated volume features sculpture, jewelry, silver luxury vessels, coins, gems, and inscriptions that reflect the Persian ideology of empire and its impact throughout Persia’s own diverse lands and the Greek and Roman spheres.   This volume is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa from April 6 to August 8, 2022.

    

    The book outlines basic periods of the school's evolution from the period that preceded its formation in the early 1930s up to the early 1990s. Paintings reproduced in the publication belong to large Russian and foreign private collections, some of the works are published for the first time. This allows for a renewed and more comprehensive assessment of the art heritage of individual painters and the epoch in general.The publication contains a Historical outline, artists' biographies and photographs and an extensive reference section that helps to navigate the book materials and provides the reader with important historical guidelines.Texts are published in Russian and English.Published in St.Petersburg by Russian Painting Collectors' Club.Text by Sergei V. Ivanov.Limited, 450 pages, 343 color plates with numerous black and white photographs of artists. Hard cover with cloth and gold stamping, 12,7 x 10 inches. Historical outline. Chronology of the Leningrad School. Index of more than 1200 painters. Artists' Biographies and Bibliography of the Leningrad School of Painting.

    

    

    

    Researched in eight languages, Revolutionary Social Democracy challenges long-held assumptions by scholars and activists about the dynamics of revolutionary change.

    

    A valuable resource for students and anyone requiring a basic understanding of post-Soviet Russia.

    A contemporary of Pushkin and Gogol, the well-known Russian Prince Vladimir Odoyevsky (1804-1869) is th author of many works including extremely popular tales for children. Here are two of them, the delightful title story about Misha's adventures with a musical snuff-box, and "Old Father Frost", also highly entertaining and instructive.

    Within living memory, smallpox was a dreaded disease. Over human history it has killed untold millions. Back in the eighteenth century, as epidemics swept Europe, the first rumours emerged of an effective treatment: a mysterious method called inoculation. But a key problem remained: convincing people to accept the preventative remedy, the forerunner of vaccination. Arguments raged over risks and benefits, and public resistance ran high. As smallpox ravaged her empire and threatened her court, Catherine the Great took the momentous decision to summon the Quaker physician Thomas Dimsdale to St Petersburg to carry out a secret mission that would transform both their lives. Lucy Ward expertly unveils the extraordinary story of Enlightenment ideals, female leadership and the fight to promote science over superstition. ‘A truly fascinating book that reads like a thriller’ Venki Ramakrishnan

    

    Expanding the literary universe spun in his earlier novels, Vodolazkin explores music and fame, belonging and purpose, time and eternity. At the stunning finale of Brisbane, all the carefully knit stitches unravel into a riddle: Whose story is it – the subject’s or the writer’s? Are art and love really no match for death? Is Brisbane, the city of our dreams, our only hope for the future?

    and the Middle East During World War IILecture 5: Origins of the Cold War in the Middle EastLecture 6: Truman and the Creation of IsraelLecture 7: Eisenhower, the Cold War and the Middle EastLecture 8: The Suez Crisis and Arab NationalismLecture 9: Kennedy - Engaging Middle Eastern NationalismLecture 10: Johnson - Taking SidesLecture 11: The Six-Day WarLecture 12: The Nixon Doctrine and the Middle East

    

    Few have left such a powerful impression on a nation's history. 90 photos.

    

    This book presents three tales that encapsulate Krzhizhanovsky's gift for creating philosophical, satirical, and lyrical phantasmagorias."Stravaging 'Strange'" details the darkly comic adventures of an apprentice magus: lovesick, he imbibes a magic tincture to reduce himself to the size of a dust mote, the better to observe the young lady in question. He stumbles across a talkative king of hearts, a gallant flea, a coven of vindictive house imps, and his romantic rival along the way to a cinematic d�nouement. "Catastrophe" wryly parodies Kant's philosophy: An old sage decides to extract the essence from all things and beings in a ruthless attempt to understand reality--and chaos ensues. "Material for a Life of Gorgis Katafalaki," set in Berlin, Paris, London, and Moscow, recounts the absurd trials of an otherworldly outsider of uncertain nationality and unfixed profession with boundless curiosity but scant means.This book also includes excerpts from Krzhizhanovsky's notebooks--aphoristic glimpses of his worldview, moods, humor, and writing methods--and reminiscences of Krzhizhanovsky by his lifelong companion, Anna Bovshek, beginning with their first meeting in Kiev in 1920 and ending with his death in Moscow in 1950.

    

    The crow and the cheese2. A greedy old woman3. A beautiful landscape4. Rich and poor5. A fish too small6. Time flies