Reshaping Russian Architecture
Western Technology, Utopian Dreams

Reshaping Russian Architecture examines the development of twentieth-century Russian architecture as it relates to the transformation of the imperial Russia into an industrialized Soviet empire and shows how Western notions of style and technology were assimilated on a massive scale into a uniquely Russian vision. Among the issues examined in articles by four distinguished historians of architecture and urban planning are: the decline of imperial architectural design during the mid-nineteenth century as occasioned by fundamental changes in aesthetic values and the social structure; the denouncement of the European capitalist economic system and consequent rejection of modern urban architecture during the period immediately prior to the 1917 revolution; and utopian concepts of modern urban design that were implemented during the interwar years of phenomenal industrial development. An important contribution to our understanding of Russian and Soviet culture in a critical period of its evolution, Reshaping Russian Architecture will also appeal to those interested in modern architecture and urban planning in general.

Reviews & endorsements

"Reshaping Russian Architecture is something of an eclectic introduction to a fascinating topic. Well-illustrated, beautifully produced, it is to be welcomed as a substantial contribution to our appreciation of the architectural history of the city in Russia and the Soviet Union." James H. Bater, Canadian Slavonic Review

Customer reviews

Product details

• Date Published: July 1990
• format: Hardback
• isbn: 9780521394185
• length: 240 pages

• dimensions: 254 x 176 x 19 mm
• weight: 0.728kg
• contains: 100 b/w illus.
• availability: Unavailable - out of print September 2006