The Story of Russia

The Story of Russia by Orlando Figes examines a thousand years of Russian history through the lens of national mythologies and imperial ideologies that have shaped the country's politics and self-understanding. Figes argues that Russia has repeatedly reimagined its own historical narrative in response to shifts in ruling ideology. The book traces key ideas that have guided Russian actions from the founding of Kievan Rus in the first millennium through Putin's war against Ukraine. These include the medieval myth of Mother Russia's holy mission, the imperial tradition of autocratic rule, belief in a paternal tsar as dispenser of truth and justice, the cult of sacrifice tied to the concept of the "Russian soul," and the nationalist narrative of Russia's unjust treatment by the West. Figes explores how Russians have constructed and revised their historical story, arguing this process is essential to understanding how the country thinks and acts today. The work draws on decades of scholarship and covers events ranging from Ivan the Terrible's coronation to the peasant revolution.