Synopses & Reviews
This magisterial book is a history of Peter the Great and the Russia he governed. It not only investigates Peter's life and legacy but also explains the impact of the Tsar Reformer on Petrine Russia's foreign policy, economy, governing institutions, society, culture and educational system. 'The most comprehensive study of Petrine Russia available in English.' Richard Pipes, The New Republic 'Thanks to Hughes's beautifully written book, for the first time the English-speaking reader is provided with a sufficiently full and just account of the events and institutions of Peter's reign ... Her work will without doubt long remain the standard text.' Nikolai Tolstoy, Literary Review 'A balanced and absorbing account of Peter and his times.' Robin Buss, Independent on Sunday 'A superbly comprehensive survey of the Petrine era ... Hughes writes in a crisp, factual, scholarly manner ... She has a fine eye for significant detail, as well as grand themes.' George Walden, The Daily Telegraph 'Hughes has produced such a comprehensive, scholarly and fluently written study of this horrific, complex man and his fascinating times that no one will need to revisit the subject for decades to come.' Andrew Roberts, Mail on Sunday
Synopsis
Named one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 1998 by the "Los Angeles Times Book Review, " this magisterial volume is a history of Peter the Great and the Russia he governed.
Synopsis
Peter the Great, often known as the Tsar Reformer, initiated a program of modernization and Westernization that affected the lives of all his subjects. He founded a new capital, St. Petersburg, which became a symbol of cultural change, and a navy, which signaled Russia's emergence as a maritime power. He also reinforced the old institutions of serfdom and autocracy. This magisterial book--a history of Peter and the Russia he governed--examines the impact of a man who was both acclaimed as the architect of the New Russia and condemned as a crude despot who sacrificed cherished traditions for the sake of international success.
Drawing on previously unavailable sources, Lindsey Hughes provides an engrossing account of one of the most significant periods in Russian history. She proceeds thematically, discussing Russia's foreign policy, the army and navy, economy, governing institutions, society, arts, education, and religion. She explores the experience of women and investigates the life of the court (including Peter's "All-Drunken Assembly"), feasts, entertainments, and popular culture. Although the book is not a biography, Peter is a vivid presence throughout--a six-foot-seven-inch giant who enjoyed the company of dwarfs and ordinary people, adopted disguises and pseudonyms, married a peasant, and had a passion for cultural reform. Hughes recounts the events that shaped Peter's youth, provides an intimate character sketch, and explores his complex family relations (including the tragic conflict with his eldest son Alexis, whom he condemned to death). Her account closes with a reconsideration of the Petrine legacy from Peter's time to our own, as his name and image become harnessed to sell beer and cigarettes and the erection of his statue provokes recent controversy.