Description
Book SynopsisWas Russia truly an empire respectful of the differences among its constituent parts or was it a unitary state seeking to create complete homogeneity?
Trade Review"LeDonne’s method is strictly historical, based on the careful reading of vast literatures, with a good dose of old-fashioned physical and human geography. At times this reads almost like the imagery travels of Jules Verne or the real-life accounts of young Petr Kropotkin." -- Georgi Derluguian, NYU Abu Dhabi *
Canadian-American Slavic Studies *
"A short review cannot do justice to the wealth of detail provided in each section." -- Alfred J. Rieber, The Central European University *
American Historical Review *
"LeDonne is one of the most distinguished historians of eighteenth-century Russia working in English; this culminating magnum opus displays many of the trademark features of his earlier work, including close attention to changing institutional structures, a focus on the interplay between domestic and foreign-policy concerns, and an awareness of the peculiarities of each region." -- Gregory Afinogenov, Georgetown University *
Journal of Modern History *
Table of ContentsList of Maps List of Tables Acknowledgments Note on the Text Introduction Part I. The Western Theatre: The Struggle for Northwestern Eurasia 1. Laying the Foundations, 1650–1775 The Geopolitical Setting Hesitant Integration Trade, Religion, and Law 2. Full Integration, 1775–1815 Territorial and Administrative Integration Religion and Economy The Baltic Provinces 3. Unitary State or Empire? 1815–1855 Civil Administration and the Army Society, Law, and Trade On the Road to Disintegration Conclusion to Part I: The Western Theatre Part II. The Southern Theatre Reaches the Sea 4. Laying the Foundations, 1650–1725 The Geopolitical Setting The Cossacks Society, Religion, and Trade 5. Toward Full Integration, 1725–1796 Civil and Military Administration Ecclesiastical and Legal Integration The Ethnographic Map 6. Unitary State or Empire? 1796–1855 Regional Integration Fiscal and Commercial Integration The First Cracks Conclusion to Part II: The Southern Theatre Part III. The Eastern Theatre: The Advance toward the Mountains Introduction to Part III: The Eastern Theatre 7. Laying the Foundations, 1650–1730 The Geopolitical Setting The Expanding Russian Core Agents of Integration 8. The Progress of Integration, 1731–1782 The Military Structure Land, Peoples, Religions Fiscal and Commercial Integration 9. Unitary State or Empire? 1782–1830 The Administrative Infrastructure Judicial Integration Economic Integration Conclusion to Part III: The Eastern Theatre Conclusion
