Writing History in Twentieth-Century Russia

In this fascinating book Alter Litvin tells us what life was really like for professional Soviet historians from Lenin to Gorbachev, and assesses the efforts made since 1991 to create a more truthful picture of the turbulent Russian past. Passionate yet fair-minded, this is the first account of the subject to appear in English. Designed primarily for the general reader, it contains much fresh material of specialist interest and an ample up-to-date bibliography.

'...a timely and valuable study of Russian and Soviet historiography...It is to be recommended not only to specialists in Russian affairs but also to anyone interested in learning how politics shape and determine the writing of history.' - John Gonzalez, Revolutionary Russia

ALTER L. LITVIN studied at Kazan State University where he is now Professor of History and Historiography. He has written many books dealing with the Russian civil war, problems of historiography and most recently political terror in Soviet Russia. JOHN KEEP attended the University of London where he later taught Russian history (1954-70); he then became Professor of Russian History at the University of Toronto. He now lives in Switzerland. He is the author of eight monographs or edited volumes and many articles on various aspects of Russian history and politics.