Reviews

Russia Under The Old Regime by Richard Pipes

spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition

2.0

Hm. I wasn't as much a fan of this one as of the other books by Richard Pipes that I've read, possibly because Pipes's typical distaste for Communism (understandable) and preference for democracy (also understandable) were overshadowed by what appeared to be a genuine dislike for Russia as a concept (kind of pushing the envelope in my opinion). I don't think an history book written by someone who clearly loathes the topic they're discussing is much better than an history book written by someone who clearly worships the topic they're discussing: neutrality is generally best, or at least an ability to temper the stronger emotions. Typically Pipes is great at this sort of thing, but in this book in particular it seemed to fall flat.