ePub The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russias by W. Bruce Lincoln in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great; long; worth the readBy TerpsichoreThis is a good; comprehensive history. It does seem to bounce around a bit and it is very long. I bought it as background for a trip soon to Russia (Moscow to St Petersburg). Give yourself lots of time to read this one but it is worth your time.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The Romanovs: Autocrats of all the RussiasBy Richard DiamondBruce Lincoln's study of the Romanovss is excellent. It is fast paced and well written. Lincoln takes each century and/or period and covers it in cronology and then is certain areas such as culture; foreign policy; domestic affairs; etc. I have read Crankshaw's book; "In the Shadow of the Winter Palace;" and need to go back and read it again for comparison. I will be reading Lindsey Hughe's book on the Romanovs after this as more than one interpretation is essential to truly understand any period of history. Since written history is an interpretation of the facts; more than one viewpoint is essential.I am sorry that Lincoln's book does not have additional information on the plight of the serfs and the crueily towards the Jews over the period of the Romanovs. It doesn't detract from the value but would have been helpful. I am also sorry that he didn't spend time on Catherine II's encouragement of German settlement as it would have been helpful in understanding the Russian-Germans emigrating to America in the 19th Century.Lincoln; along with others makes a case for the "ture" Romanov line ending with Empress Elizabeth. He does make a point of Catherine having a son; Paul I who was a short lived Empreor by her first lover; thus ending the Romanov blood line. But that's yet another story and VERY controversial.Oversall; an outstanding book.35 of 35 people found the following review helpful. A Very Readable Account of Imperial Russia's RulersBy R. A ForczykW. Bruce Lincoln's history of the 300 years of Romanov rule in Russia (1613-1917) is easily his most readable account of Russian history. While Professor Lincoln's research is meticulous as ever; in this volume he has to cover far more ground than in his other more focused histories and thus he avoids some of the digressions that he normally might allow himself. The result is a superb one-volume history of the Tsars and Tsarinas who determined Russia's development from a minor principality into the largest empire on earth. The Romanovs consists of four parts: Muscovite beginnings (1613-1689); the Rise of an Empire (1689-1796); Empire Triumphant (1796-1894) and the Last Emperor (1894-1917). The first three parts each consist of several chapters; with the first covering biographical details of the Tsars and Tsarinas in that period; followed by chapters on political and cultural changes in that period. There are only two significant problems with what is otherwise a superb presentation: a non-chronological methodology and a lack of a single supporting map of Romanov domains (there are two maps of St Petersburg's layout). In the first case; Lincoln tends to keep coming back to Tsars in subsequent chapters on culture; politics; etc which is very confusing. Indeed; he seems in a rush to plow through the biographies of the Tsars; then revisit their cultural accomplishments; then come back again and discuss their political accomplishments; and then maybe discuss a few scandals or wars. As for the lack of maps; it makes it extremely difficult for the reader to evaluate the territorial expansions of the various Romanov rulers or Russia's growth over three centuries. Despite these two flaws; the Romanovs is a delightful read for anyone with a scholarly interest in Russian imperial history. Perhaps the three most significant rulers that Lincoln assesses are Peter the Great; Catherine the Great and Nicholas II. Most histories tend to elevate Peter to hero status; but Lincoln's evaluation is more mixed. While Peter gets great credit for pushing Russia to modernize; the costs he incurred may have been too great. In particular; Lincoln questions Peter's obsession with building his capital on totally unsuitable terrain; the fact that the Russians were able to eventually succeed in constructing Peter's dream capital often disguises the fact that the human and financial losses were exorbitantly wasteful. The reader will be left to ponder the question that if Peter had built his capital elsewhere; Russia's development might have been much less painful. As for Catherine; Lincoln prefers to minimize the scandal and corruption associated with her court and view this as the golden age of Russian cultural development. Finally; Nicholas II appears as even more of a fatalistic dolt bent on self-destruction than he did in Lincoln's previous books. In sum; The Romanovs provides a solid and very readable account of Russia's development under the Tsars and Tsarinas.