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The End of the Russian Empire
No other event has had as forceful an impact on our times as the fall of the Empire of the Tsars. The Russia that grew out of the this revolution has cast its large shadow across the entire globe, and a real grasp of its significance must be based on an understanding of its origins.
This book offers that understanding in all its Russia's role in World War I, the attempt at democratic government, the middle classes and the awakening labor force, the Bolsheviks - all are examined in the light of the Empire's fall. The result is an exciting and memorable story of an event which continues to shape of our lives.
This book offers that understanding in all its Russia's role in World War I, the attempt at democratic government, the middle classes and the awakening labor force, the Bolsheviks - all are examined in the light of the Empire's fall. The result is an exciting and memorable story of an event which continues to shape of our lives.
254 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1961
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 9, 2011
I found the perspective of this book, first published in 1931, to be interesting. There's an obvious tendency to look at the horrors of the Soviet Union and to look back with nostalgia to the Tsar or the Provisional Government. But the author here offers insight into why both were lacking and failed, though the account is at times statistic dominated and dry. Here's one passage I highlighted in conclusion about Russia before the Bolsheviks took power.
"Few are the instances in the history of the human race when the impotence and inadequacy of a political regime revealed themselves with such striking force. None of the elements of the Russian State proved equal to the burden which was thrown upon them. The Emperor was a weak and obstinate man, a mere tool in the hands of an unbalanced woman guided by vulgar adventurers. The bureaucracy was senile, unadaptable, and helpless in an emergency. It soon lost whatever virtues it might have possessed before the War.
"The Duma was sadly lacking in authority and leadership. The educated classes, in spite of their honest desire to champion the cause of the people, were crippled by the opposition of the bureaucracy and their aloofness from the masses. There was no organized labor, no real self-government on a broad democratic basis, no real tradition of public service. The economic and educational standards of the masses were appallingly low.
"And beneath the thin layer of refined European culture one could feel the subdued, heavy breathing of the millions of peasants, inarticulate, ignored, and often forgotten in their snow-clad cottages in the immensity of the Russian plains. ... Who will be bold enough to determine which was the factor that played the leading part in bringing about the Revolution? Was it the folly of the Emperor and the Empress? the decay of the Government? military losses? the secular grievances of the peasants? the starving conditions of the cities? the weariness of the war?"
"Few are the instances in the history of the human race when the impotence and inadequacy of a political regime revealed themselves with such striking force. None of the elements of the Russian State proved equal to the burden which was thrown upon them. The Emperor was a weak and obstinate man, a mere tool in the hands of an unbalanced woman guided by vulgar adventurers. The bureaucracy was senile, unadaptable, and helpless in an emergency. It soon lost whatever virtues it might have possessed before the War.
"The Duma was sadly lacking in authority and leadership. The educated classes, in spite of their honest desire to champion the cause of the people, were crippled by the opposition of the bureaucracy and their aloofness from the masses. There was no organized labor, no real self-government on a broad democratic basis, no real tradition of public service. The economic and educational standards of the masses were appallingly low.
"And beneath the thin layer of refined European culture one could feel the subdued, heavy breathing of the millions of peasants, inarticulate, ignored, and often forgotten in their snow-clad cottages in the immensity of the Russian plains. ... Who will be bold enough to determine which was the factor that played the leading part in bringing about the Revolution? Was it the folly of the Emperor and the Empress? the decay of the Government? military losses? the secular grievances of the peasants? the starving conditions of the cities? the weariness of the war?"
May 29, 2024
A pretty good summary of the end of the Russian Empire.
The book is academic, which may be a bit boring for some. But there’s good reason for the statistics the author dives into. Breaking down all the factors that brought down the Russian Empire during WWI is a big task and I’d say the author did a fine job. The book was written in 1931, which is interesting for those of us living in 2024. An appraisal of the fall of Russia to Communism prior to WWII is interesting on its own and you can see how differently the book is written compared to books today.
Particularly, Florinsky uses terms that have fallen out of the academic consciousness such as “historical moment”, which rarely pops up in history books today unless the historian is quoting another historian from a bygone era.
Good book, 4 stars.
The book is academic, which may be a bit boring for some. But there’s good reason for the statistics the author dives into. Breaking down all the factors that brought down the Russian Empire during WWI is a big task and I’d say the author did a fine job. The book was written in 1931, which is interesting for those of us living in 2024. An appraisal of the fall of Russia to Communism prior to WWII is interesting on its own and you can see how differently the book is written compared to books today.
Particularly, Florinsky uses terms that have fallen out of the academic consciousness such as “historical moment”, which rarely pops up in history books today unless the historian is quoting another historian from a bygone era.
Good book, 4 stars.
April 21, 2010
Read for college history class. Not a bad summary of the end of the Tsars.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews