This survey of Russia spans the years from the 16th century up to the present day. It asks how the Russians incorporated new territories, how they were resisted, what the character of the multi-ethnic empire was and how these issues related to nationalism.

The "national question" and how to impose control over its diverse ethnic identities has long posed a problem for the Russian state. This major survey of Russia as a multi-ethnic empire spans the imperial years from the sixteenth century to 1917, with major consideration of the Soviet phase. It asks how Russians incorporated new territories, how they were resisted, what the character of a multi-ethnic empire was and how, finally, these issues related to nationalism.