{"product_id":"9780300284386","title":"PRE-ORDER NOW The Steppe and Its Empires : The Russian Empire and Its Eurasian Counterparts by Michael Khodarkovsky","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 14\/07\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA broad comparative study that highlights the importance of the Eurasian steppe and its impact on the arc of Russian history?Throughout its existence, Russia has been a hybrid empire shaped by both Europe and Asia. Focusing on the formation of the Russian state between the sixteenth and the mid-nineteenth centuries, renowned historian Michael Khodarkovsky examines Russia's structural similarities with its neighbors in Asia-the Ottoman, Persian, Mughal, and Chinese empires. While most historians have noted the transformations that brought Russia closer to modern European societies, the Russian empire's shared characteristics with its non-European counterparts remain poorly understood.   ?Khodarkovsky reveals the critical role of the Eurasian steppe in the formation of the empires, whose military-social institutions and political culture were distinctly different from those of the West. Ultimately, he argues that Russia is best understood as a hybrid Eurasian empire whose steppe origins and fluid frontiers propelled its relentless expansion, producing a vastly diverse society with a blurred sense of national identity. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56367957574005,"sku":"9780300284386","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9780300284386","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}