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The Russia Anxiety

And How History Can Resolve It

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The Russia Anxiety

By: Mark B. Smith
Narrated by: Sam Woolf
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Russia is an exceptional country, the biggest in the world. It is both European and exotic, powerful and weak, brilliant and flawed. Why are we so afraid of it?

Time and again, we judge Russia by unique standards. We have usually assumed that it possesses higher levels of cunning, malevolence and brutality. Yet the country has more often than not been a crucial ally, not least against Napoleon and in the two world wars. We admire its music and its writers. We lavish praise on the Russian soul. And still we think of Russia as a unique menace. What is it about this extraordinary country that consistently provokes such excessive responses? And why is this so dangerous?

Ranging from the earliest times to the present, Mark B. Smith's remarkable new book is a history of this 'Russia Anxiety'. Whether ally or enemy, superpower or failing state, Russia grips our imagination and fuels our fears unlike any other country. This book shows how history itself offers a clearer view and a better future.

 Military Modern Politics & Government Russia War Imperialism Socialism Soviet Union Self-Determination Middle East Middle Ages Discrimination Social justice Capitalism Iran Liberalism

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Critic reviews

A fluent meditation on Russian history, a gallant attempt to reason with those who believe that Russia is condemned to an endless cycle of failed reform and resurgent authoritarianism ... a welcome antidote to the overwrought stuff about Russia so widespread in the West today. (Rodric Braithwaite)
Compelling... Russian history is many layered, Smith argues, and the deeper we dig the more apparent it becomes that the tropes of Russophobic history bear little or no relation to reality ... As a Russian history specialist, he deploys his deep knowledge of the country's culture, society and peoples to capture with verve and imagination the grand sweep of its history, and combines this with an astute commentary on contemporary politics. (Geoffrey Roberts)
Fizzing with energy, Mark B. Smith's book explodes many myths about the Russians and compels us to reflect critically on ourselves. (Simon Dixon, author of Catherine the Great)
In this exciting and provocative book, Mark B. Smith blows apart misconceptions about the Russian past ... Smith's energy and dynamism carry the day. (Lara Douds)
The author is a highly informed guide, [who] prompts a review of prejudices ... Smith makes an important fundamental point: we must talk to the Russians and live alongside them. (Max Hastings)
Smith makes a very strong case that Russia's past needs to be considered as much more complex than it generally is. For that reason alone, this book deserves a large audience ... The Russia Anxiety is a very welcome book. It provides a provocative and much needed analysis of Russian history which ably shows the oversimplified nature of most Western understandings of Russia. (Paul Robinson, author of RUSSIAN CONSERVATISM and Professor of History at the University of Ottawa)
The Russia Anxiety is a valuable effort to assess the long history of the West's Russia-related worries ... Regrettably, more than five years [since the annexation of Crimea], the United States seems no closer to developing either a strategy or a policy to manage its relationship with Russia. Mark Smith's provocative book won't solve that problem alone, but it does offer some valuable guidance in thinking about solutions. (Paul Saunders)
All stars
Most relevant
Loved the book, as a Russian still found some new things in it that they don't teach in class. Smart and analytical, not taking sides. Even bought a hard copy of it to have. The only negative thing is that the narrator had a really hard time with Russian names and places, it was difficult to recognize even familiar concepts. I suggest consulting a native before recording.

A great book analysing Russian anxiety

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This is a thoughtful-provoking book that encourages western readers to reflect on how they think about Russia, and the tendency the author identifies of thinking of Russia as a uniquely expansionist and violent country. It is a very different account of Russia than you'll find in the journalistic works exposing the links between the KGB, organised crime, Russian oligarchs, nuclear assassinations on non-Russian soil etc (Catherine Belton, David Hoffman etc). The author does not do a huge amount to demonstrate who is exhibiting the 'Russia anxiety'--Richard Pipes aside--and it is a somewhat loose category, so he ends up often exhibiting the analytical failings he is accusing many western commentators of exhibiting. Moreover, a Hungarian, Polish or Finnish etc reader might find the arguments about misunderstood Russian power a little less persuasive than someone based in the UK, to put it mildly. The author is aware that the book could be categorised as 400 pages of 'what about-ism,' but still frequently slips into snide comments that undermine his case. But overall it should definitely be listened/read to closely and carefully, especially by anyone who wants to think about how we get out of the mess we're currently in and who wants to be challenged to look with fresh eyes on Russia's relationship with the west.

Thought-provoking

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The reader has a nice engaging voice and intonation. I wish he had learnt to properly pronounce the Russian and French terms though.

Pronunciation

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A insightful listen. As a person who thinks that since the fall of the USSR, the west has missed a trick & should have helped Russian enter into the fold of the European family instead of actively make a enemy out of her, I agreed with a lot of the author’s points.
It would be interesting to hear the author’s views post February 2022. I hope we get a follow up title to see she he re-evaluates things.

The Russians are coming!

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Loved this, was a real gem, and refreshingly different from other books about Russia. The author has a vast knowledge of Russian history which he actively applies to his theory of the Russian Anxiety. Surely a necessary and important read for all who Russia intrigues, provokes and fascinates - often our anxieties say as much about us as they do about the other!

Strongly reccomend to all interested in Russia

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