This book is a detailed yet clear introduction to the Russian Revolutions and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. The author makes full use of the recent research since Gorbachev's Glasnost, and surveys the different interpretations of Russian history. Each chapter begins with a brief summary of events and a list of the main points of debate among historians, and ends with a recommended reading list.

The fifth edition of this leading coursebook is designed for school, college and first year university students. Requiring no previous knowledge it covers international relations and major conflicts during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.