Self-Government in Russia (Classic Reprint)

Self-Government in Russia (Classic Reprint)

Author: Paul Vinogradoff

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2017-09-15

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9781528147279

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Excerpt from Self-Government in Russia We started by taking notice of certain analogies between the situation of Russia and that of Great Britain. Let us now take into account the funda mental difference between the two countries. Whereas the horizon of Great Britain opens freely in all directions, the Russian people have been, as it were, slowly revolving from East to West in order to reach an outlook free from obstruction. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis Self-Government in Russia (Classic Reprint) by : Paul Vinogradoff

Download or read book Self-Government in Russia (Classic Reprint) written by Paul Vinogradoff and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-09-15 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Self-Government in Russia We started by taking notice of certain analogies between the situation of Russia and that of Great Britain. Let us now take into account the funda mental difference between the two countries. Whereas the horizon of Great Britain opens freely in all directions, the Russian people have been, as it were, slowly revolving from East to West in order to reach an outlook free from obstruction. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Self-Government in Russia

Self-Government in Russia

Author: Paul Vinogradoff

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2015-06-12

Total Pages: 133

ISBN-13: 9781330050422

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Excerpt from Self-Government in Russia England and Russia seem at first glance to stand at the opposite poles of European civilisation: the classical country of constitutionalism, the centre of industry, the great mart of sea intercourse on one side, and the Holy Russia of Tsardom, the home of agricultural peasantry, the vast background of Continental Europe on the other. And yet, for the unprejudiced observer the two countries possess many common traits: we may notice at the outset that the British are not only insular but cosmopolitan, and so are the Russians. The insularity of the Briton is not only the conscious reflex of a geographical situation, but the necessary outcome of a civilisation moulded within the compass of three seas. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis Self-Government in Russia by : Paul Vinogradoff

Download or read book Self-Government in Russia written by Paul Vinogradoff and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2015-06-12 with total page 133 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Self-Government in Russia England and Russia seem at first glance to stand at the opposite poles of European civilisation: the classical country of constitutionalism, the centre of industry, the great mart of sea intercourse on one side, and the Holy Russia of Tsardom, the home of agricultural peasantry, the vast background of Continental Europe on the other. And yet, for the unprejudiced observer the two countries possess many common traits: we may notice at the outset that the British are not only insular but cosmopolitan, and so are the Russians. The insularity of the Briton is not only the conscious reflex of a geographical situation, but the necessary outcome of a civilisation moulded within the compass of three seas. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


The Betrayal of Socialism by the German Social-Democratic Party

The Betrayal of Socialism by the German Social-Democratic Party

Author: Joseph Goricar

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-03

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 9780666661791

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Excerpt from The Betrayal of Socialism by the German Social-Democratic Party: With a Short Sketch of the Russian Forms of Self-Government The Slovak League of America in placing this pamphlet before the American public has two objects in view; to acquaint the Americans not vitally interested in the present epochal conflict. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis The Betrayal of Socialism by the German Social-Democratic Party by : Joseph Goricar

Download or read book The Betrayal of Socialism by the German Social-Democratic Party written by Joseph Goricar and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-03 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Betrayal of Socialism by the German Social-Democratic Party: With a Short Sketch of the Russian Forms of Self-Government The Slovak League of America in placing this pamphlet before the American public has two objects in view; to acquaint the Americans not vitally interested in the present epochal conflict. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Open Gates to Russia (Classic Reprint)

Open Gates to Russia (Classic Reprint)

Author: Malcolm Watwers Davis

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-03-13

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 9780364454657

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Excerpt from Open Gates to Russia IN putting forward this volume upon the prob lems of relationship with Russia, in her reconstruc tion, in the interest of a rounded friendship and many-sided co-operation between the people of Russia and America, the writer wishes to acknowl edge his indebtedness to the following books of refer ence, for information supplementary and corrective to that drawn from personal experience and con versations with Russians upon which the chapters are mainly based: Russia from the Varangiaus to the Bolsheviks, Beazley, Forbes, and Birkett; The self-discoveryzof Russia, Simpson; Bolshevism, Spar go; Russia of Yesterday and To-morrow, Baroness Souiny; self-government in Russia, Vinogradoff; Russia and Democracy, Wesselitsky; Commercial Russia, Beable. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis Open Gates to Russia (Classic Reprint) by : Malcolm Watwers Davis

Download or read book Open Gates to Russia (Classic Reprint) written by Malcolm Watwers Davis and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-03-13 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Open Gates to Russia IN putting forward this volume upon the prob lems of relationship with Russia, in her reconstruc tion, in the interest of a rounded friendship and many-sided co-operation between the people of Russia and America, the writer wishes to acknowl edge his indebtedness to the following books of refer ence, for information supplementary and corrective to that drawn from personal experience and con versations with Russians upon which the chapters are mainly based: Russia from the Varangiaus to the Bolsheviks, Beazley, Forbes, and Birkett; The self-discoveryzof Russia, Simpson; Bolshevism, Spar go; Russia of Yesterday and To-morrow, Baroness Souiny; self-government in Russia, Vinogradoff; Russia and Democracy, Wesselitsky; Commercial Russia, Beable. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Russian Local Government During the War and the Union of Zemstvos (Classic Reprint)

Russian Local Government During the War and the Union of Zemstvos (Classic Reprint)

Author: Tikhon J. Polner

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2017-11-19

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 9780331486414

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Excerpt from Russian Local Government During the War and the Union of Zemstvos IN the autumn of 1914, when the scientific study of the effects of war upon modern life passed suddenly from theory to history, the Division of Economics and History of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace proposed to adjust the program of its re searches to the new and altered problems which the War presented. The existing program, which had been prepared as the result of a conference of economists held at Berne in 1911, and which dealt with the facts then at hand, had just begun to Show the quality of its contributions; but for many reasons it could no longer be fol lowed out. A plan was therefore drawn up at the request of the Director of the Division, in which it was proposed, by means of an historical survey, to attempt to measure the economic cost of the War and the displacement which it was causing in the processes of civilization. Such an Economic and Social History of the 'voi'ld War, it was felt, if undertaken by men of judicial temper and ade quate training, might ultimately, by reason of its scientific obliga tions to truth, furnish data for the forming of sound public Opinion, It and thus contribute fundamentally toward the aims of an institution dedicated to the cause of international peace. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis Russian Local Government During the War and the Union of Zemstvos (Classic Reprint) by : Tikhon J. Polner

Download or read book Russian Local Government During the War and the Union of Zemstvos (Classic Reprint) written by Tikhon J. Polner and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-11-19 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Russian Local Government During the War and the Union of Zemstvos IN the autumn of 1914, when the scientific study of the effects of war upon modern life passed suddenly from theory to history, the Division of Economics and History of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace proposed to adjust the program of its re searches to the new and altered problems which the War presented. The existing program, which had been prepared as the result of a conference of economists held at Berne in 1911, and which dealt with the facts then at hand, had just begun to Show the quality of its contributions; but for many reasons it could no longer be fol lowed out. A plan was therefore drawn up at the request of the Director of the Division, in which it was proposed, by means of an historical survey, to attempt to measure the economic cost of the War and the displacement which it was causing in the processes of civilization. Such an Economic and Social History of the 'voi'ld War, it was felt, if undertaken by men of judicial temper and ade quate training, might ultimately, by reason of its scientific obliga tions to truth, furnish data for the forming of sound public Opinion, It and thus contribute fundamentally toward the aims of an institution dedicated to the cause of international peace. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Russia Today (Classic Reprint)

Russia Today (Classic Reprint)

Author: American Academy Of Political A Science

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-02-10

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9780656224197

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Excerpt from Russia Today During my stay of eighteen months I came into close contact with all kinds Of men, leaders and others. I saw what was going on. I saw what the Bolsheviks were doing and what they were trying to do in Russia. I spent two weeks in the western provinces. I lived with the Red army and Slept in peasants' houses, and I talked a great deal with the common people Then I went to Moscow. When I reached there, I immediately began to act as a correspondent for the Associated Press and continued to do so for eight months. During that time I met many people of prominence. I also traveled through the heart Of the present famine district. Then I went back to Moscow, and in October of last year I was arrested and put in prison where I stayed for ten months - f or eight months in one of the most severe prisons in all Russia. I got myself into it and I have never blamed the Soviet government for what happened to me. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis Russia Today (Classic Reprint) by : American Academy Of Political A Science

Download or read book Russia Today (Classic Reprint) written by American Academy Of Political A Science and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-02-10 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Russia Today During my stay of eighteen months I came into close contact with all kinds Of men, leaders and others. I saw what was going on. I saw what the Bolsheviks were doing and what they were trying to do in Russia. I spent two weeks in the western provinces. I lived with the Red army and Slept in peasants' houses, and I talked a great deal with the common people Then I went to Moscow. When I reached there, I immediately began to act as a correspondent for the Associated Press and continued to do so for eight months. During that time I met many people of prominence. I also traveled through the heart Of the present famine district. Then I went back to Moscow, and in October of last year I was arrested and put in prison where I stayed for ten months - f or eight months in one of the most severe prisons in all Russia. I got myself into it and I have never blamed the Soviet government for what happened to me. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


A Social Study of the Russian German (Classic Reprint)

A Social Study of the Russian German (Classic Reprint)

Author: Hattie Plum Williams

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2017-11-16

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 9780260006233

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Excerpt from A Social Study of the Russian German After the freeing of the serfs in Russia in 1861, the various reforms which followed affected the status of the German colonists. They had gone to Russia under promise that they should have local self-government, retain their own schools and churches, and be free from military service. Now their local self-government was gradually being interfered with, universal military service forced them into the army, and' the fear arose that they would in time be denied their German schools and freedom of worship. Emigration began in the seventies, some going to South America, others to Canada, and large numbers coming to the United States. The latter settled mainly in Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, all of which at that time were bidding for immigrants. Lincoln was then the distributing center for Ne braska settlers, and has since remained the clearing house for this particular immigrant group. Several thousand Russian Germans now live in Lincoln, forming the largest group of these people to be found in any one city in the United States. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis A Social Study of the Russian German (Classic Reprint) by : Hattie Plum Williams

Download or read book A Social Study of the Russian German (Classic Reprint) written by Hattie Plum Williams and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-11-16 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from A Social Study of the Russian German After the freeing of the serfs in Russia in 1861, the various reforms which followed affected the status of the German colonists. They had gone to Russia under promise that they should have local self-government, retain their own schools and churches, and be free from military service. Now their local self-government was gradually being interfered with, universal military service forced them into the army, and' the fear arose that they would in time be denied their German schools and freedom of worship. Emigration began in the seventies, some going to South America, others to Canada, and large numbers coming to the United States. The latter settled mainly in Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, all of which at that time were bidding for immigrants. Lincoln was then the distributing center for Ne braska settlers, and has since remained the clearing house for this particular immigrant group. Several thousand Russian Germans now live in Lincoln, forming the largest group of these people to be found in any one city in the United States. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


The House of Government

The House of Government

Author: Yuri Slezkine

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2017-08-07

Total Pages: 1128

ISBN-13: 1400888174

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On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the epic story of an enormous apartment building where Communist true believers lived before their destruction The House of Government is unlike any other book about the Russian Revolution and the Soviet experiment. Written in the tradition of Tolstoy's War and Peace, Grossman’s Life and Fate, and Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago, Yuri Slezkine’s gripping narrative tells the true story of the residents of an enormous Moscow apartment building where top Communist officials and their families lived before they were destroyed in Stalin’s purges. A vivid account of the personal and public lives of Bolshevik true believers, the book begins with their conversion to Communism and ends with their children’s loss of faith and the fall of the Soviet Union. Completed in 1931, the House of Government, later known as the House on the Embankment, was located across the Moscow River from the Kremlin. The largest residential building in Europe, it combined 505 furnished apartments with public spaces that included everything from a movie theater and a library to a tennis court and a shooting range. Slezkine tells the chilling story of how the building’s residents lived in their apartments and ruled the Soviet state until some eight hundred of them were evicted from the House and led, one by one, to prison or their deaths. Drawing on letters, diaries, and interviews, and featuring hundreds of rare photographs, The House of Government weaves together biography, literary criticism, architectural history, and fascinating new theories of revolutions, millennial prophecies, and reigns of terror. The result is an unforgettable human saga of a building that, like the Soviet Union itself, became a haunted house, forever disturbed by the ghosts of the disappeared.


Book Synopsis The House of Government by : Yuri Slezkine

Download or read book The House of Government written by Yuri Slezkine and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-08-07 with total page 1128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the epic story of an enormous apartment building where Communist true believers lived before their destruction The House of Government is unlike any other book about the Russian Revolution and the Soviet experiment. Written in the tradition of Tolstoy's War and Peace, Grossman’s Life and Fate, and Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago, Yuri Slezkine’s gripping narrative tells the true story of the residents of an enormous Moscow apartment building where top Communist officials and their families lived before they were destroyed in Stalin’s purges. A vivid account of the personal and public lives of Bolshevik true believers, the book begins with their conversion to Communism and ends with their children’s loss of faith and the fall of the Soviet Union. Completed in 1931, the House of Government, later known as the House on the Embankment, was located across the Moscow River from the Kremlin. The largest residential building in Europe, it combined 505 furnished apartments with public spaces that included everything from a movie theater and a library to a tennis court and a shooting range. Slezkine tells the chilling story of how the building’s residents lived in their apartments and ruled the Soviet state until some eight hundred of them were evicted from the House and led, one by one, to prison or their deaths. Drawing on letters, diaries, and interviews, and featuring hundreds of rare photographs, The House of Government weaves together biography, literary criticism, architectural history, and fascinating new theories of revolutions, millennial prophecies, and reigns of terror. The result is an unforgettable human saga of a building that, like the Soviet Union itself, became a haunted house, forever disturbed by the ghosts of the disappeared.


The Zemstvo in Russia

The Zemstvo in Russia

Author: Terence Emmons

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1982-04-30

Total Pages: 467

ISBN-13: 0521234166

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The essays in this 1982 volume result from a conference held at Stanford University in 1978, assembled to assess the overall character and significance of the prerevolutionary Russian experiment with the principle and practice of local self-government, the zemstvo, over half of its existence, 1864-1918. The unifying theme of the collection is the rejection of the liberal myth of the zemstvo as an instrument of social integration. The chapters focus on the substantive elements of conflict and tension that existed within the zemstvos, especially between the institutions' two principal groups: the landed gentry, who dominated the zemstvo, and the peasants, who constituted the majority of the population and were intended to the beneficiaries of most of the economic and cultural programs, yet had little part in their formation. Based on the contributors' extensive knowledge of their respective subjects, many of them provide information from previously unpublished materials in Soviet and American archives.


Book Synopsis The Zemstvo in Russia by : Terence Emmons

Download or read book The Zemstvo in Russia written by Terence Emmons and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1982-04-30 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays in this 1982 volume result from a conference held at Stanford University in 1978, assembled to assess the overall character and significance of the prerevolutionary Russian experiment with the principle and practice of local self-government, the zemstvo, over half of its existence, 1864-1918. The unifying theme of the collection is the rejection of the liberal myth of the zemstvo as an instrument of social integration. The chapters focus on the substantive elements of conflict and tension that existed within the zemstvos, especially between the institutions' two principal groups: the landed gentry, who dominated the zemstvo, and the peasants, who constituted the majority of the population and were intended to the beneficiaries of most of the economic and cultural programs, yet had little part in their formation. Based on the contributors' extensive knowledge of their respective subjects, many of them provide information from previously unpublished materials in Soviet and American archives.


Empire of Nations

Empire of Nations

Author: Francine Hirsch

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2014-10-03

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 0801455944

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When the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917, they set themselves the task of building socialism in the vast landscape of the former Russian Empire, a territory populated by hundreds of different peoples belonging to a multitude of linguistic, religious, and ethnic groups. Before 1917, the Bolsheviks had called for the national self-determination of all peoples and had condemned all forms of colonization as exploitative. After attaining power, however, they began to express concern that it would not be possible for Soviet Russia to survive without the cotton of Turkestan and the oil of the Caucasus. In an effort to reconcile their anti-imperialist position with their desire to hold on to as much territory as possible, the Bolsheviks integrated the national idea into the administrative-territorial structure of the new Soviet state. In Empire of Nations, Francine Hirsch examines the ways in which former imperial ethnographers and local elites provided the Bolsheviks with ethnographic knowledge that shaped the very formation of the new Soviet Union. The ethnographers—who drew inspiration from the Western European colonial context—produced all-union censuses, assisted government commissions charged with delimiting the USSR's internal borders, led expeditions to study "the human being as a productive force," and created ethnographic exhibits about the "Peoples of the USSR." In the 1930s, they would lead the Soviet campaign against Nazi race theories . Hirsch illuminates the pervasive tension between the colonial-economic and ethnographic definitions of Soviet territory; this tension informed Soviet social, economic, and administrative structures. A major contribution to the history of Russia and the Soviet Union, Empire of Nations also offers new insights into the connection between ethnography and empire.


Book Synopsis Empire of Nations by : Francine Hirsch

Download or read book Empire of Nations written by Francine Hirsch and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-03 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917, they set themselves the task of building socialism in the vast landscape of the former Russian Empire, a territory populated by hundreds of different peoples belonging to a multitude of linguistic, religious, and ethnic groups. Before 1917, the Bolsheviks had called for the national self-determination of all peoples and had condemned all forms of colonization as exploitative. After attaining power, however, they began to express concern that it would not be possible for Soviet Russia to survive without the cotton of Turkestan and the oil of the Caucasus. In an effort to reconcile their anti-imperialist position with their desire to hold on to as much territory as possible, the Bolsheviks integrated the national idea into the administrative-territorial structure of the new Soviet state. In Empire of Nations, Francine Hirsch examines the ways in which former imperial ethnographers and local elites provided the Bolsheviks with ethnographic knowledge that shaped the very formation of the new Soviet Union. The ethnographers—who drew inspiration from the Western European colonial context—produced all-union censuses, assisted government commissions charged with delimiting the USSR's internal borders, led expeditions to study "the human being as a productive force," and created ethnographic exhibits about the "Peoples of the USSR." In the 1930s, they would lead the Soviet campaign against Nazi race theories . Hirsch illuminates the pervasive tension between the colonial-economic and ethnographic definitions of Soviet territory; this tension informed Soviet social, economic, and administrative structures. A major contribution to the history of Russia and the Soviet Union, Empire of Nations also offers new insights into the connection between ethnography and empire.