Download Bitter Choices Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus Michael Khodarkovsky Books
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Russia's attempt to consolidate its authority in the North Caucasus has exerted a terrible price on both sides since the mid-nineteenth century. Michael Khodarkovsky's book tells the story of a single man with multiple allegiances and provides a concise and compelling history of the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian seas. After forays beginning in the late 1500s, Russia tenuously conquered the peoples of the region in the 1850s; the campaign was defined by a cruelty on both sides that established a pattern repeated in our own time, particularly in Chechnya.
At the center of Khodarkovsky's sweeping account is Semen Atarshchikov (1807–1845). His father was a Chechen translator in the Russian army, and Atarshchikov grew up with roots in both Russian and Chechen cultures. His facility with local languages earned him quick promotion in the Russian army. Atarshchikov enjoyed the confidence of his superiors, yet he saw the violence that the Russians inflicted on the native population and was torn between his duties as a Russian officer and his affinity with the highlanders. Twice he deserted the army to join the highlanders in raids against his former colleagues. In the end he was betrayed by a compatriot who sought to gain favor with the Russians by killing the infamous Atarshchikov.
Khodarkovsky places Atarshchikov's life in a rich context we learn a great deal about the region's geography, its peoples, their history, and their conflicts with both the Russians and one another. Khodarkovsky reveals disputes among the Russian commanders and the policies they advocated; some argued for humane approaches but always lost out to those who preferred more violent means. Like Hadji Murat―the hero of Tolstoy's last great work―Atarshchikov moved back and forth between Russian and local allegiances; his biography is the story of the North Caucasus, one as relevant today as in the nineteenth century.
Download Bitter Choices Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus Michael Khodarkovsky Books
"Great read and mind expanding with background not understood from others on the topic. Enjoyed every minute. I would like to have seen more maps or notations of the page of the maps provided. It would further expanded my understanding of that difficult geography."
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Tags : Bitter Choices Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus (9780801479526) Michael Khodarkovsky Books,Michael Khodarkovsky,Bitter Choices Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus,Cornell University Press,0801479525,Political Ideologies - Nationalism Patriotism,Atarshchikov, Semeen,Caucasus, Northern (Russia) - History - 19th century,Caucasus, Northern (Russia) - History - Autonomy and independence movements,Caucasus, Northern (Russia);History;19th century.,Caucasus, Northern (Russia);History;Autonomy and independence movements.,Cossacks - Russia (Federation) - Caucasus, Northern,Cossacks;Russia (Federation);Caucasus, Northern;Biography.,Revolutionaries - Russia (Federation) - Caucasus, Northern,1807-1845,Anthropology - Cultural Social,Atarshchikov, Semèen,,Autonomy and independence movements,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical,Biography,Biography Autobiography/Historical,Caucasus, Northern,Caucasus, Northern (Russia),Cossacks,Europe - Former Soviet Republics,Europe - Russia the Former Soviet Union,European history,General Adult,HISTORY / Military / Wars Conflicts (Other),HISTORY / Russia the Former Soviet Union,History,History - General History,History / Military,History / Russia and the Former USSR,History/Military - Wars Conflicts (Other),History/Russia the Former Soviet Union,History/World,History World,NATIONALISM,Non-Fiction,POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Nationalism Patriotism,Political Ideologies - Nationalism Patriotism,RUSSIA - HISTORY,Revolutionaries - Russia (Federation) - Caucasus, Northern,Russia,Russia (Federation),SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural Social,Slavic and Eurasian Studies,UNIVERSITY PRESS,United States,Anthropology - Cultural Social,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical,Biography Autobiography/Historical,Europe - Former Soviet Republics,Europe - Russia the Former Soviet Union,HISTORY / Military / Wars Conflicts (Other),HISTORY / Russia the Former Soviet Union,History/Military - Wars Conflicts (Other),History/Russia the Former Soviet Union,POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Nationalism Patriotism,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural Social,History - General History,1807-1845,Atarshchikov, Semèen,,Autonomy and independence movements,Biography,Caucasus, Northern,Caucasus, Northern (Russia),Cossacks,Russia (Federation),Nationalism,Russia - History,History,History World,European history
Bitter Choices Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus Michael Khodarkovsky Books Reviews :
Bitter Choices Loyalty and Betrayal in the Russian Conquest of the North Caucasus Michael Khodarkovsky Books Reviews
- Khodarkovsky has spent most of his career studying the relation between the Russian Empire and the steppe nomads. Here he turns his attention to the Caucasus and adopts a method that does not quite work. He bases his account on an obscure man called Semyon Atarshchikov. He was a Russified Chechen who worked as an interpreter for the Russians. In 1841 he went over to the mountaineers, became a Muslim and spent several years raiding until he was murdered by another deserter. There is not much information about him and most of the book is about what he must have seen and done. If you are interested in the Caucasus there is a good bit of random information here but it does not make a unified account.
- I ENJOYED THIS BOOK IMMENSELY BECAUSE IT FOLLOWED ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS LIVING AND SURVIVING THRU DIFFERENT PERIODS IN THE CAUCASUS DURING SO MUCH TURMOIL EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU LEAVE THIS BOOK WITH A FAR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WENT ON IN THAT AREA, ESPECIALLY NOW.
- Great read and mind expanding with background not understood from others on the topic. Enjoyed every minute. I would like to have seen more maps or notations of the page of the maps provided. It would further expanded my understanding of that difficult geography.
- Khodarkovsky is no stranger to Russian borderland investigations, and this book is great case study of the problem of the Caucasus in the Imperial Russia period. Recommended for anyone that has a basic academic understanding of the area and seeks more.
- Great book
