Russian Archives

The debate on the origins of the First World War

by History Guild | Mar 22, 2023 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
The way historians have viewed the causes of WWI has changed in the hundred years since war broke out. This article explores the origins of the Great War.

How could the death of one man, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was assassinated on 28 June 1914, lead to the deaths of millions in a war of unprecedented scale and ferocity? This is the question at the heart of the debate on the origins of the First World War. Finding the answer to this question has exercised historians for 100 years.

Ukraine: why supply of US and German tanks echoes cold war

by History Guild | Mar 21, 2023 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
The export of German and US tanks to Ukraine is not without risk, both real and symbolic. In purely military terms, well-trained, well-led and motivated Ukrainian tank crews operating the Leopard 2 or M1 Abrams will be better protected, have better firepower and be more manoeuvrable than their Russian counterparts. Provided the Ukrainians can cope with the fact that they will need different ammunition, spare parts and possibly fuel they can make a difference, significantly enhancing Ukraine’s capability to defend its territory.

Saint Olga of Kyiv is Ukraine’s patron saint of both defiance and vengeance

by History Guild | Sep 14, 2022 | Military History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
Ukrainians are used to adversity and they have a special medieval role model who personifies their bravery in the face of hardship. The Mongol horde destroyed her tomb in Kyiv in 1240 but a Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral dedicated to her was consecrated there as recently as 2010.

Why Gorbachev’s legacy still threatens Putin

by History Guild | Sep 8, 2022 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 5 minutes
Little remains of the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader and one of the greatest reformers in Russian history.

The Story of the AK-47: The World’s Most Famous and Deadliest Rifle

by History Guild | Aug 8, 2022 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
The AK-47 is perhaps one of the most recognizable automatic rifles in the world. This simple gun, produced by Mikhail Kalashnikov, was initially intended to replace the somewhat ineffective weapons carried by Soviet forces. However, it quickly became the weapon of choice during most conflicts following the Second World War. But, how did this weapon become the most famous and deadliest rifle in the world?

Dispatches from Red Square: reporting Russia’s revolutions then and now

by History Guild | Jun 13, 2022 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 9 minutes
“No news from Petrograd yesterday”, was the headline in the Daily Mail on March 14, 1917. The story – or non-story – which followed, was only a few dozen words: “Up to a late hour last night the Russian official report, which for many months has come to hand early, had not been received”, it ran. So why publish it? The non-appearance of the daily news bulletin from the Russian government had led the Mail’s writer, trying to prepare a report in London, to suspect something was going on.

Putin’s brazen manipulation of language is a perfect example of Orwellian doublespeak

by History Guild | Apr 15, 2022 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
If you’ve been paying attention to how Russian President Vladimir Putin talks about the war in Ukraine, you may have noticed a pattern. Putin often uses words to mean exactly the opposite of what they normally do.
He labels acts of war “peacekeeping duties.”
He claims to be engaging in “denazification” of Ukraine while seeking to overthrow or even kill Ukraine’s Jewish president, who is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor.

ABUSE AND TENACITY: UKRAINE’S STRUGGLE FOR AUTONOMY

by History Guild | Apr 2, 2022 | Political and Economic History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 10 minutes
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has rightfully outraged and shocked much of the world; a war of aggression from one nation to another, this attack and occupation has been the largest such incursion into a foreign land since the Second World War. Indeed it has also created the displacement of nearly 4 million Ukrainians, leading to Europe’s greatest refugee crisis in 80 years.

The wild decade: how the 1990s laid the foundations for Vladimir Putin’s Russia

by History Guild | Mar 25, 2022 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
By securing victory in a national vote on constitutional changes, Vladimir Putin could now remain president of Russia until 2036 if he chooses to stand again. After 20 years in power, the narrative of Russia’s chaotic 1990s remains core to Putin’s legitimacy as the leader who restored stability.

Kazakhstan: A Story of Endurance

by History Guild | Jan 14, 2022 | Political and Economic History | 0

Reading time: 7 minutes
As protests erupt across the former Soviet republic, the world watches transfixed. How did Kazakhstan come to be the country it is today?

Rewilding: lessons from the medieval Baltic crusades

by History Guild | Dec 17, 2021 | Military History, Social and Cultural History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
The Forest of Białowieża, which straddles the border of Poland and Belarus, is unique in Europe: it is incredibly ancient. Woodland has been continuously present there for some 12,000 years. With the protection of 6059 hectares from human disturbance within the Polish national park, as well as the return of its iconic European bison herds from the brink of extinction, the forest is widely regarded as a model for restoring biodiversity or “rewilding”, which areas across Europe are trying to emulate.

The Beginning of the End: Napoleon’s Retreat from Russia

by History Guild | Dec 15, 2021 | Military History | 0

Reading time: 6 minutes
On 24 June 1812, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte led the French Grand Army across the Neman River, invading Russia. By this point, the French Emperor had won many military victories, giving him control over most of Europe. However, his invasion of Russia would prove to be a devastating point in the Napoleonic wars and a major blow to his political and military power across Europe.

Tag: Russian