A Brief History of Russian and Soviet Science

Author: [British] Loren R. Graham
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-10-01
Features: Until the 1880s, the scale of Soviet science had reached the world's peak, but its history was little known to the West. For years, there was a need to write a book to fill this gap and meet readers' demands in this regard. This book was compiled for this purpose. The history of Russian and Soviet science is a story of both remarkable achievements and setbacks. The history referred to here is presented in a comprehensive form and explained through a socio-political lens. This book covers the Tsarist era, the impact of the Russian Revolution on science, the relationship between science and Soviet society, the strengths and weaknesses of various disciplines in the knowledge of science. It also discusses the influence of Soviet media in the late 1980s and early 1990s on Russian science and other communist countries. This is a book that is both broad in scope and compelling, making it engaging to read. Overall, the Soviet Union achieved remarkable accomplishments in science and technology, thanks to the political system that made scientific tasks widely understood by society and the strong influence of socio-political forces on the scientific endeavor. This book is part of the Cambridge History of Science series and can serve as a key reference for readers in disciplines such as the history of scientific thought, the history of philosophy, and sociology.