Abstract
This is the twenty-third book produced by Hélène Carrère d'Encausse since 1963. Almost all are histories of Russia during the imperial and Soviet periods. The present volume portrays Alexander II (1855–1881) as Russia's greatest reformer of the nineteenth century, architect of its first perestroika. D'Encausse's evocation of the term associated with Mikhail Gorbachev a century later is purposeful and perhaps facile. Chapter one offers a general background that points to Russia's underlying weaknesses, despite the country's powerful outward presence. Chapter two treats Alexander's youth and adolescence, confirming that he spent much of this time in the shadow of his formidable father, Nicholas I, whom he admired and feared. The chief legacy for the young heir—reinforced even by the “liberal” tutor Mikhail Speranskii—was the unlimited and sacred autocratic power of the tsar-emperor. Chapter three discusses culture and literature at mid-century. In this chapter, d'Encausse provides a familiar picture of the extremist tendencies of the Russian intelligentsia; her best portraits are of Alexander Herzen and especially Mikhail Bakunin.
Published Version
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