The Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation

From a preeminent scholar of Eastern Europe and the prizewinning author of Chernobyl, the essential history of Russian imperialism.

In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimea and attempted to seize a portion of Ukraine -- only the latest iteration of a centuries-long effort to expand Russian boundaries and create a pan-Russian nation. In Lost Kingdom, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues that we can only understand the confluence of Russian imperialism and nationalism today by delving into the nation's history. Spanning over 500 years, from the end of the Mongol rule to the present day, Plokhy shows how leaders from Ivan the Terrible to Joseph Stalin to Vladimir Putin exploited existing forms of identity, warfare, and territorial expansion to achieve imperial supremacy.

An authoritative and masterful account of Russian nationalism, Lost Kingdom chronicles the story behind Russia's belligerent empire-building quest.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 10/10/2017
ISBN: 9780465098491
Pages: 432
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.50d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2017
Publishers Weekly 08/21/2017
Library Journal 09/15/2017
Choice 03/01/2018