Why read Modernization from the Other Shore?

Book cover of Modernization from the Other Shore: American Intellectuals and the Romance of Russian Development

Book description

From the late nineteenth century to the eve of World War II, America's experts on Russia watched as Russia and the Soviet Union embarked on a course of rapid industrialization. Captivated by the idea of modernization, diplomats, journalists, and scholars across the political spectrum rationalized the enormous human cost of…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Modernization from the Other Shore as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

John Philipp Baesler

Author

American observers were endlessly fascinated by Russia long before the Cold War began and before supposed Russian election interference became a news item. However, they could never make up their minds about what made the Russian people tick. In this eye-opening book, David Engerman shows how American journalists, diplomats, and social scientists romanticized and ridiculed Russian peasants, praised or condemned the attempts by the Tsar and the Bolsheviks to modernize Russia by force, and marbled at the Russian “national character.” Engerman in a masterly fashion reveals how prejudices have shaped American views of Russia.

From John's list on Russia in Western eyes.