The Russians
by Hedrick Smith
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Description
An intimate and personal account of contemporary life in Russia. Author examines the life-styles and aspirations of every level of Russian society.Tags
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Member Reviews
It's a wonderful book about an historic era that's gone, and yet seems to be repeating itself. Smith examines Soviet society from the hall of power to the ordinary people in factories and farms across this vast country. Smith's style certainly is rooted in a point of view, but that point of view ultimately apepars to be that, upon closer examination, seemingly different societies actually share a number of characteristics, notleast of which is the desire of ordinary people for better lives. Ultimately, the book is an indictment of the effects of power on holders of any ideology, for in The Russians, Smith certainly disproves the idea of a classless communist society.
"The Russians" by Hedrick Smith is a book I loved the first time I read it in the 1980s. I reread it in the early 2000s and it more or less held up, even though things in the former Soviet Union were changing drastically. It is probably still of interest today because he looks at Russians as people, how they act in public, in private, among strangers, with bureaucracy, at work, at school and everywhere in-between. Smith and his family spent 4 years in Moscow during the late '60s and early '70s. He took every opportunity to meet people and find out what they were thinking, how things were done and he was an astute observer. It is entertaining and enlightening to read, even today. Highly recommended.
In grade 9, our Language Arts teacher had one period of 40 minutes per week where we could read whatever we wanted for the whole period. (Mr. Wilson, D. S. MacKenzie Junior High School, Edmonton, Alberta.) At that stage in my life, I had brought this book to class because I loved to read the thickest books possible. I remember one of my friends saw it and called me a communist. Remember that this was grade 9 level, and in the mid 1970s the Cold War was still on. I was shocked by his name-calling but I was too mortified to complain to the teacher. Secretly, I was proud to be called a communist, and have some distinction from my peers.
I slogged through it and was quite fascinated by the descriptions of everyday people.
Not that we had zero show more accounts given to us North Americans of the Soviet environment, but you and I know that the ones that we could access were restricted in number and in scope. Apart from the doings of the Brezhnev and Nixon and Ford and Carter which we heard about sporadically on the news reports about the Cold War and arms reduction treaties, it was hard to get any idea of what everyday Russian life was like. Unless you count Russian track and field and gymnastics athletes highlighted during the Olympics every four years. This book accomplished that goal of enlightening me about all the regular people at home in Russia.
Years later, I could graduate on to Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol and The Gulag Archipelago. show less
I slogged through it and was quite fascinated by the descriptions of everyday people.
Not that we had zero show more accounts given to us North Americans of the Soviet environment, but you and I know that the ones that we could access were restricted in number and in scope. Apart from the doings of the Brezhnev and Nixon and Ford and Carter which we heard about sporadically on the news reports about the Cold War and arms reduction treaties, it was hard to get any idea of what everyday Russian life was like. Unless you count Russian track and field and gymnastics athletes highlighted during the Olympics every four years. This book accomplished that goal of enlightening me about all the regular people at home in Russia.
Years later, I could graduate on to Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol and The Gulag Archipelago. show less
Very good book, 22nd printing (1989) and updated version of the Copyright 1976 original. Very good look at everyday Russian life, attitudes, and changes within Russia in the 1970s-1980s.
Although older, it is still relevant. It is about Russian culture, and his thesis is that what we see under the Soviets we saw under the Czars. And probably we will see under the Presidents...
This was one of our books for a course in the SIU Sociological department. US and Soviet society.
Been a long time since I've read this one, about to read it again. Time gets away from me so still on the re-read list. When that will be I don't know.
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Books about Russia and the former USSR
67 works; 12 members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Russians
- Original title
- The Russians
- Alternate titles*
- Die Russen Wie die russischen Menschen - von Kiew bis Wladiwostok - leben, wovon sie träumen, was sie lieben und wie ihr Alltag wirklich aussieht.
- Original publication date
- 1976
- Epigraph
- Beneath the flat surface of society in Russia, as presented by Pravda, a rich and complex life abounds but it totally lacks any means of communication. We are not a "one dimensional society" as Westerners believe. --Commu... (show all)nist Party official, quoted by K.S. Karol, 1971
- Dedication
- To Ann, who shared it all
- First words
- Foreword: Journalists are supposed to focus on what is now and fresh.
Introduction: Not long before leaving for Russia in mid-1971, I ran into Marvin Kalb of C.B.S., whose memory of his first day in Moscow was still fresh.
Pick any weekday afternoon to stroll down Gravonsky Street two blocks from the Kremlin, as I have, and you will find two lines of polished black Volga sedans, engines idling and chauffeurs watchfully eyeing their mirrors. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"So you see," said Ann, "it's nothing new. It was the same under the czars. They're the same people."
- Original language*
- Englisch
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 306.0947; 947.0853
- Canonical LCC
- DK276
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 306.0947 — Society, government, & culture Social sciences, sociology & anthropology Social Behavior - Dating, Marriage, Divorce Social history Europe Eastern Europe And Russia
- LCC
- DK276 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics – Poland History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics History Soviet regime, 1918-1991
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 964
- Popularity
- 27,485
- Reviews
- 8
- Rating
- (3.78)
- Languages
- 10 — Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 24
- ASINs
- 18
