From Tolstoy to Lenin, from Diaghilev to Stalin, The Empire Must Die is a tragedy of operatic proportions with a cast of characters that ranges from the exotic to utterly villainous, the glamorous to the depraved. In 1912, Russia experienced a flowering of liberalism and tolerance that placed it at the forefront of the modern world: women were fighting for the right to vote in the elections for the newly empowered parliament, Russian art and culture was the envy of Europe and America, there was a vibrant free press and ...
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From Tolstoy to Lenin, from Diaghilev to Stalin, The Empire Must Die is a tragedy of operatic proportions with a cast of characters that ranges from the exotic to utterly villainous, the glamorous to the depraved. In 1912, Russia experienced a flowering of liberalism and tolerance that placed it at the forefront of the modern world: women were fighting for the right to vote in the elections for the newly empowered parliament, Russian art and culture was the envy of Europe and America, there was a vibrant free press and intellectual life. But a fatal flaw was left uncorrected: Russia's exuberant experimental moment took place atop a rotten foundation. The old imperial order, in place for three hundred years, still held the nation in thrall. Its princes, archdukes, and generals bled the country dry during the First World War and by 1917 the only consensus was that the Empire must die. Mikhail Zygar's dazzling, in-the-moment retelling of the two decades that prefigured the death of the Tsar, his family, and the entire imperial edifice is a captivating drama of what might have been versus what was subsequently seen as inevitable. A monumental piece of political theater that only Russia was capable of enacting, the fall of the Russian Empire changed the course of the twentieth century and eerily anticipated the mood of the twenty-first.
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As New in As New dust jacket. 1610398319. This book is like new; no remainder marks. Some slight cover shelfwear. Inside pages are clean.; 6.5 X 1.75 X 9.625 inches; 576 pages.
The people's freedoms initiated by Nicholas' father set a scene in 1900 Russia not unlike some parts of the globe in the present day. The rise of family industrialists in textiles and steel saw a cultural shift away from power and influence by government. The story until 1917 is pivoted on this central theme along with the role of the arts and army. Zygar uses these platforms to introduce hundreds of interesting characters, takes you into the day to day, and has you believe you are an eye witness. I found the book beautifully written and engaging, and it was easy to reflect on similarities today. Private wealth supported changes in attitude, and the quest for more political reform. As Zygar explains, reform could have no integrity on a rotten foundation. He makes no judgments on the post 1917 government but brilliantly elucidates how the country arrived at that junction. I found the copious footnotes, bibliographic references, modern comparisons and the character descriptions really useful. Zygar seems to use sources of newspaper articles, private letters and archival material with gusto. I felt I was there.
The book is nicely rounded off with a short subsequent CV of many of the main characters either remaining or emigrant.
