New Releases by Edward Crankshaw

First published in 1951, this book by Edward Crankshaw, a leading authority on the U.S.S.R., explores the abandonment of normative Marxism and its eventual replacement by Great Russian nationalism, the predisposition of Russian society to submit to absolute regimes, and the striking ineptitude of Stalin''s foreign policy.

Exactly 175 years ago, on the Senate Square in St. Petersburg, a failed uprising ignited a process that would, one red October, finally sweep the autocracy away. The Shadow of the Winter Palace recounts an extraordinary century of Russian history, a politically tempestuous time that was also a Golden Age of intellectual and artistic achievement—the century of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, of Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky. A master stylist and a distinguished historian, Edward Crankshaw limns dazzling portraits of the czars, the revolutionaries, and a host of other unforgettable characters—and provides a riveting, sweeping history "jam-packed with information about the past and implications for the present"(Atlantic Monthly).

Bundel artikelen over Rusland na de tweede wereldoorlog door een Engelse journalist

The downfall of the Habsburg monarchy was more than just the end of a great and powerful dynasty. It meant the destruction of the old European order and marked a turning point in world history. Edward Crankshaw’s distinguished study offers a compelling account of the final decades of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, leading up to WWI. At the center of the dramatic events stands the majestic figure of the Emperor Franz Josef, facing the tragedies of his disastrous marriage and the suicide of his only son, and doggedly resisting the ruin of his inheritance. In a sweeping panorama of Vienna, Imperial Russia, Napoleon’s France, Bismarck’s Prussia, and Cavour’s Italy, Crankshaw examines the ambitions and disillusionment that broke the Empire and forged the destiny of the twentieth century. "A good book...a superb narrative...trenchant and witty." -- The New York Times "Sympathetic...scholarly...humane." -- Sunday Times

"Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (1 April 1815? 30 July 1898), simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman who dominated European affairs from the 1860s to his dismissal in 1890 by Emperor Wilhelm II. In 1871, after a series of short victorious wars, he unified most of the German states (whilst excluding some, most notably Austria) into a powerful German Empire under Prussian leadership. This created a balance of power that preserved peace in Europe from 1871 until 1914"--Wikipedia.

"The House of Habsburg (pron.: /hæps.br/; German pronunciation: [ha?ps.bk]), also Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and Spanish Empire and several other countries. The House takes its name from Habsburg Castle, a fortress built around 1020?1030 in present day Switzerland by Count Radbot of Klettgau, who chose to name his fortress Habsburg. His grandson, Otto II, was the first to take the fortress name as his own, adding "von Habsburg" to his title."--Wikipedia.

Presents a lively and readable analysis of the empress and her time, of her family life and her relationships with her advisors. Deals particularly with the loss of Silesia to Frederick II of Prussia and the divisions of Poland.

Full-length biography, which also re-creates the "feel" of Russia from the chaos of Revolution to the ordered bureaucracy of today.