An authoritative short history of Russia, from the mysterious origins of the nation-state to the death of Stalin  A classic work now back in print for the first time since 1956--and still regarded as one of the groundbreaking books on the subject--this narrative history of Russia was the first to encompass the myth-befogged beginnings of the nation-state, the rise and cataclysmic fall of tsarism, and the Spartan years of the U.S.S.R.  Charques emphasizes three points of view: that autocracy has played a dominant role throughout all of Russian history; that serfdom is the fabric of Russia's social history; and that it is of paramount importance to recognize Russia's present regime under Putin and Medvedev as the latest phase in a long history of oppression.