The curse of empire : Ukraine, Poland, and the fatal paths in Russian history / Martin Schulze Wessel ; translated by Neil Solomon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wessel, Martin Schulze, author.

Contributor:

Solomon, Neil, translator.

Standardized Title:

Fluch des Imperiums.

Language:

English

German

Subjects (All):

Imperialism.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine, 2022.

Russia--Foreign relations.

Russia.

Russia--History.

Russia--Territorial expansion.

Soviet Union--Foreign relations.

Soviet Union.

Russia (Federation)--Foreign relations.

Russia (Federation).

Poland--Foreign relations.

Poland.

Ukraine--Foreign relations.

Ukraine.

Physical Description:

vi, 336 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; Hoboken, NJ : Polity Press, [2026].

Summary:

"Before 24 February 2022, many observers saw Russia as a normal dictatorship in which the ruler was primarily interested in maintaining power. The full-scale attack on Ukraine and the way the war was waged and propagandised show that Russia follows a specific logic. The war is to be understood in the long tradition of Russia's expansion into Europe, which began at the start of the 18th century. Since then, imperial rule over Poland and Ukraine has formed the basis for the development of an East-West antagonism in international politics, which--long before the Cold War--also manifested itself ideologically. For a long time, Russia pursued its imperial claims to power over East-Central Europe in alliance with German states, Prussia and the Habsburg monarchy. Russia's adherence to imperial patterns can be described as the 'curse of empire', a political-ideological complex that characterises Russian politics to the present day."

Notes:

Originally published in German as: Der Fluch des Imperiums. - München : Beck, cop. 2023.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781509563999

1509563997

OCLC:

1520597589