The Empire Must Die : Russia's Revolutionary Collapse, 1900-1917

Author(s): Mikhail Zygar

European

The Empire Must Die portrays the vivid drama of Russia's brief and exotic experiment with civil society before it was swept away by the despotism of the Communist Revolution. The window between two equally stifling autocracies - the imperial family and the communists - was open only briefly, in the last couple of years of the 19th century until the end of WWI, by which time the revolution was in full fury. From the last years of Tolstoy until the death of the Tsar and his family, however, Russia experimented with liberalism and cultural openness. In Europe, the Ballet Russe was the height of chic. Novelists and playwrights blossomed, political ideas were swapped in coffee houses and St Petersburg felt briefly like Vienna or Paris. The state, however couldn't tolerate such experimentation against the backdrop of a catastrophic war and a failing economy. The autocrats moved in and the liberals were overwhelmed. This story seems to have strangely prescient echoes of the present.


Product Information

Mikhail Zygar is the former editor in chief of the only independent TV station in Russia, TV Rain (Dozhd). Previously, he worked for Newsweek Russia and the business daily Kommersant. Zygar was awarded the 2014 International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

General Fields

  • : 9781610398312
  • : PublicAffairs
  • : PublicAffairs
  • : 0.84
  • : October 2017
  • : 240mm X 156mm
  • : United States
  • : January 2018
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Mikhail Zygar
  • : Hardcover
  • : 1
  • : English
  • : 947
  • : 608