Excerpt from The End of the Russian Empire Of them have been published since and the completion Of our task is now in sight. It is impossible for me to close these introductory remarks without acknowledging the immense debt Of gratitude I owe to Professor Shotwell. TO say that this volume would never have been written if it were not for his encouragement and interest in my work is no mere figure Of speech. Professor Shotwell's broad vision and enthusiasm for historical research and his invaluable counsel at every stage have guided me through the long and thorny journey, and his patience, kindness, and generosity made possible the completion Of my task. NO words could adequately express how much I owe to him. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from History of Russia and of Peter the Great The first rays of Russian glory about to be eclipsed. It endeavours to effect its interior organization, and to become civilized. A sum mary of its means of civilization, derived from its connection with southern Asia, with the Greeks and Italians, and from its Christian ity, the genius of Vladimir and Yaroslaf, and their longevity. De scription of the premature luxury of Kief. Obstacles thrown in the way of Russian civilization, by the situation of that capital, exposing it perpetually to the incursions of the Nomade tribes, to civil wars, and lastly, to endless mutations of fortunes and properties. Happy influence of Christianity; and, nevertheless, new and invincible oh stacles to the civilizing of the Russians, ascribed to barbarian habi tudes, the vanity of men of confirmed habits, and especially to the destruction of. Kief, which exclusively contained the principal seeds of that civilization. Sketch of the progression of calamities, igno rance, and demoralization, which spread over the Russian Empire till the end of the first dynasty. Page 48 - 54. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Overwhelmed by what he felt was the worthlessness of his great success as a writer, Chekhov (1860-1904) decided to leave everything behind him and go to the far reaches of Siberia - to the terrible Russian penal colony on Sakhalin Island. This book mixes his witty, charming letters back to friends on his long journey with his grim account of the reality of life in one of the worst places on earth. Great Journeys allows readers to travel both around the planet and back through the centuries - but also back into ideas and worlds frightening, ruthless and cruel in different ways from our own. Few reading experiences can begin to match that of engaging with writers who saw astounding things- Great civilisations, walls of ice, violent and implacable jungles, deserts and mountains, multitudes of birds and flowers new to science. Reading these books is to see the world afresh, to rediscover a time when many cultures were quite strange to each other, where legends and stories were treated as facts and in which so much was still to be discovered.

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION—FROM THE TSARS TO THE SOVIETS This economic, political, and social study by a distinguished Russian authority uses a wealth of contemporary evidence—state documents, memoirs, correspondence, statistics—to analyze “the forces which brought about the fall of the Tsars and paved the way for Bolshevism” in the crucial years 1914-1917. Beginning with a survey of the state of the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I, Professor Florinsky shows how the Imperial system failed to meet the challenges raised by that conflict and why the Bolsheviks were able to assume control of the national Revolution. Every aspect of the collapse is scrutinized, from the absolutist tradition inherited by Nicholas II to the estrangement of the intelligentsia, from the peasant masses, whose only aims were peace and land. The principals are strikingly portrayed—Tsar Nicholas, Tsaritsa Alexandra, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, and Rasputin—as are the breakdown of the ministerial bureaucracy, the impotence of the Duma and Union of Zemstvos, and the colossal losses of the army. This richly documented account of the Provisional Government’s failure to meet the nation’s Revolutionary goals and of the Bolsheviks’ spectacular success in formulating and giving voice to Russian aspirations is basic to an understanding of the origins of today’s Soviet state.

Excerpt from Russia and the World a Study of the War and a Statement, of the World-Problems That, Now Confront Russia, and Great Britain No one could say with whom there was war, but there certainly was war with someone. It was a terrible moment when I heard that Germany had declared war on Russia, but it was tempered by the fact that I could hardly believe the news to be true. Still, with the call to arms, my vagabondage in Central Asia came to an end for the time being. So the war came across my little thread of life. This book takes up my story on the day of mobilisa tion on the Altai Mountains. At first I thought of in cluding the whole of the year's experience and thought and impressions of my Central Asian journey in one book with my pictures and thoughts of the war. But I have put aside the earlier matter, as hardly relevant to the immediate question of how the war is affecting Russia and how Russia stands in relation to the nations she pro teets and to the world in general. Some time later I h0pe to return to the Altai village and resume my wanderings where I left off, and, when I have crossed Siberia, may perhaps present a personal impression of the Russian Empire. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Russian Affairs The student of history cannot but as whether the old drama of the decline and fall of a great empire is to be enacted over again, or whether the Russian nation possesses an innate vigour which will enable it to overcome the enormous difficulties of the struggle on which it has even now entered. The whole of Northern Asia, with the exception of Korea, and a great part of Central A sia, are now Russian territory. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.