Description
Book SynopsisFeaturing rare letters of recommendation and military manuals, this is the first book to explore the intersection of the European Enlightenment and the military in Russia.
Trade Review"War and Enlightenment challenges the dictum about Russian backwardness. Miakinkov helps explain why and how the Russian army won repeatedly in the late eighteenth century. More broadly, the book enhances our appreciation of the cosmopolitan and variegated nature of the Enlightenment." -- Lucien Frary, Rider University *
The Journal of Military History *
"Serious students of Russian history, the Military Enlightenment, and the influence of Enlightenment thought will find Eugene Miakinkov's new book deserving of their careful reflection. It is a highly instructive contribution to the English-language literature on the army that stymied Frederick the Great and helped defeat Napoleon Bonaparte." -- James McIntyre, Moraine Valley Community College *
Michigan War Studies Review *
“Provides a much-needed revision to our understanding of the eighteenth-century Russian military.” -- Tyler Mazda, Ohio State University *
H-Net Reviews: H-War *
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Between Patronage and Education: The Enlightenment and the Military Pre-Intelligentsia in Catherine’s Russia 2. Favourites and Professionals: Merit, Seniority, and Advancement in Catherine’s Military 3. “We must distinguish the military establishment from other callings”: Writers and Ideas of the Russian Military Enlightenment 4. “Always remember that he is not a peasant, but a soldier”: The Enlightenment and the Shaping of Russian Soldiers 5. “Fantastic forms of folly”: Individualism and the Performance of Military Culture 6. “The gutters of the town were dyed with blood”: The Siege of Izmail, Russian Military Culture, and the Limits of the Enlightenment at War 7. “His Majesty recommends to gentlemen-officers to dress better and not to stutter”: Paul I and the Military Enlightenment Conclusion: The Legacy of the Enlightenment in Russian Military Culture Bibliography
