Martin Sixsmith offers an original and informative look at Russias thousand-year past, tracing the forces and the myths that have shaped Putins politics. Putin is a paradox. He appeared to commit himself to friendship with the West. But the Putin of those years is now unrecognisable, an autocratic nationalist dedicated to repression at home and anti-Western militarism. So, what happened? Was he lying from the start? Or, if he was sincere, what was it that made him change his mind? Martin puts into context the enduring terror of encirclement by outsiders, the subjugation of the individual to the cause of the state, the collectivist values, the willingness to lie and deceive, the co-opting of religion and the belief in Great Russias mission to change the world.