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1837 was a critical moment in Russia's history. The year's noteworthy occurrences extend from the realms of culture, religion, and ideas to those of empire, politics, and industry. This book argues that the 1830s in Russia were a period of dynamism and culture, and that 1837 was pivotal for the country's entry into the modern age.
List of contents
- Introduction
- 1: He Fell, Slandered by Rumor
- 2: A Life for the Tsar, an Opera for the Nation
- 3: Philosophical Madness
- 4: In the Flesh
- 5: Provinces Animated
- 6: Guardians of the Benighted
- 7: Think More About Camels
- 8: Orthodoxy Marches West
- 9: A Unicorn, Violent but Submissive
- 10: Northern Phoenix
- Conclusion
About the author
Paul Werth is Professor in the Department of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has held research fellowships in the US, Germany, and Japan, and in 2010-15 he was an editor of the journal Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History. His previous research focused on the problems of religion and empire in Russian History, and in 2014 he published The Tsar's Foreign Faiths: Toleration and the Fate of Religious Freedom in Imperial Russia with OUP. Earlier research convinced him of the importance for Russian history of the 1830s-and 1837, in particular.
Summary
1837 was a critical moment in Russia's history. The year's noteworthy occurrences extend from the realms of culture, religion, and ideas to those of empire, politics, and industry. This book argues that the 1830s in Russia were a period of dynamism and culture, and that 1837 was pivotal for the country's entry into the modern age.
Additional text
The codification of the laws is arguably the most important event of the 1830s and adds weight to Werth's overall argument, but it came two years early. Such caveats make the book ideal for discussion in graduate seminars. Werth's writing is light, concise, with occasional humor, and its short chapters with separate conclusions are ideal for classroom use.
