Title: Russia in the nineteenth century: autocracy, reform, and social change, 1814-1914
Abstract: Alexander Polunov. Russia in the Nineteenth Century: Autocracy, Reform, and Social Change, 1814-1914. Edited by Thomas C. Owen and Larissa G. Zakharova. The New Russian History Series. Armonk, New York and London; M. E. Sharpe, 2005. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Paper.Alexander Polunov's synthetic account of Russia's nineteenth century provides skilled survey that can well serve either as the anchor in courses on modern Russian history or as handy reference work.Working in the best traditions of Petr Zaionchivskii and his own mentor Larissa Zakharova, Polunov also incorporates the findings of non-Russian (primarily English-language) scholarship into his analysis as well. His book focuses heavily on the tsarist government and political processes-the book's illustrations thus portray primarily, though not exclusively, sovereigns and officials-and he addresses social developments above all as the object of state policy. The Russian economy rightly receives considerable attention from Polunov as well, and the author makes some effort to integrate developments in Russia's borderlands into his story. Those interested in topics such as cultural history and women, by contrast, will have to look elsewhere, as Polunov is ultimately concerned with the more traditional aspects of historical process.Polunov focuses above all on Russia's two principal institutions-serfdom and autocracy-and explores the ways in which the first became the object of while the second, except in the realm of unrealized plans and projects, did not. Indeed, Polunov takes as his starting point the year 1815, when projects of (limited) constitutional and plans for the modification of serfdom began to appear. The path to reform was slow and difficult, however, and combination of factors including gentry opposition, respect for private property, revolutionary upheaval in Europe, and basic inertia served to hinder all but modest initiatives. Moreover, because the reforms of the 186Os halfhearted, they produced series of significant that soon placed the autocracy in conflict with institutions that it had itself brought into being (zemstvos, courts, and so on). Polunov contends that these tensions formed a knot of contradictions (p. 189) by late century and should be construed as among the most significant factors in the regime's collapse. Nonetheless, Polunov resists the proposition that tsarist Russia was doomed to inevitable destruction at any point before the World War. He asserts that the upheavals of the early twentieth century that destroyed the old order were not predetermined or inevitable. …
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 22
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