The Shadow of War ─ Russia and the USSR, 1941 to the Present

Taking the achievements, ambiguities, and legacies of World War II as a point of departure, The Shadow of War: The Soviet Union and Russia, 1941 to the Present offers a fresh new approach to modern Soviet and Russian history.
Presents one of the only histories of the Soviet Union and Russia that begins with World War II and goes beyond the Soviet collapse through to the early twenty-first century
Innovative thematic arrangement and approach allows for insights that are missed in chronological histories
Draws on a wide range of sources and the very latest research on post-Soviet history, a rapidly developing field
Supported by further reading, bibliography, maps and illustrations.

Stephen Lovell is a Reader in Modern European History at King’s College London. His previous books include The Russian Reading Revolution: Print Culture in the Soviet and Post-Soviet Eras (2000), Summerfolk: A History of the Dacha, 1710-2000 (2003), Destination in Doubt: Russia since 1989 (2006), and The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction (2009).

"Shadow of War is an astute topical approach to Soviet/Russian history from 1941 to the beginnings of the Medvedev presidency in 2008. Its clarity and first-rate scholarship make it exceptionally enlightening on major socioeconomic and national conditions and post-Soviet matters generally." (Michigan War Studies Review, November 2010)

"For Russians the Second World War was one of both national liberation and imperial expansion; it was also the dominant memory in the lives of three generations of Soviet citizens. Lovell's decision to take it as his starting point enables him to shine an innovative and penetrating light on many aspects of Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia often ignored in general studies. This is a very valuable book for those seeking to understand today's Russia."
—Geoffrey Hosking, Emeritus Professor, University College London
"An extremely sure-footed and gracefully written interpretation of the last sixty years of Soviet/Russian history. Lovell exhibits much razor-sharp wit and insight, although almost never at the expense of his subjects. He views Soviet leaders and ordinary citizens from the standpoint of a western observer, but also steps back to observe himself observing his subjects, a perspective all too rare in textbooks."
—Lewis Siegelbaum, Michigan State University

List of Illustrations.
Series Editor’s Preface.
Acknowledgments.
1. Introduction: World War II and the Remaking of the Soviet Union.
2. Reform, Reaction, Revolution.
3. From Plan to Market.
4. Structures of Society.
5. Public and Private.
6. Center and Periphery.
7. National Questions.
8. Geopolitical Imperatives.
9. From Isolationism to Globalization.
10. Conclusion: The Second Russian Revolution?
Notes.
Guide to Further Reading.
Index.