The Russian Idea

A chillingly topical classic of political history.

This book examines Russia from a geographical neighbour’s perspective. In The Russian Idea, Finland’s ex-President sets out to understand Russian thinking through the lens of historical events and to anticipate its influence on Russia’s future choices. Following Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the book is today more topical than ever.

While outlining the key episodes in Russian history, Koivisto explores the essence of what Russia and Russianness stand for. What was the significance of Moscow’s self-proclamation as the Third Rome, and how did Russia become an empire? What impact did the existence of that empire have on Finland’s independence?

In The Russian Idea (first published in Finnish in 2001), Koivisto combines a review of Russian political history with an introduction to the Russian history of ideas. He describes the Russian intellectual heritage as a combination of Orthodox religion, Pan-Slavism and Socialism.

Mauno Koivisto (1923–2017) served as President of the Republic of Finland for two consecutive terms, from 1982 to 1994. Before that, he was Prime Minister from 1968 to 1970 and again from 1979 to 1982. Koivisto started studying Russian early in the 1950s, and Russian studies remained a lifelong interest.