May 12, 2001

Emperor of all Russia


Emperor of all Russia

Unique to Nicholas' reign was the way that the bureaucracy was established. One's position or rank was based more upon service to the empire and less on heredity. Thus, peasants, who served the tsar well, found themselves among the ranks of the nobility, their former masters. Nicholas hated corruption but corruption was alive and well during his reign. Unhappy nobility (those who inherited their land and rank) oppressed their peasants so that they would not achieve noble rank.

These same nobles would paint for Nicholas a rosy picture of life in the country. Since Nicholas put such stock in faith and loyalty, the idea of his nobles misleading him was unthinkable. Nicholas considered the serf system to be a sickness of society but he did little, if anything, about it. His son, Alexander II, would be left to pick up this mantel of reform and produce Russia's Emancipation Edict.

Many consider Nicholas' reign, in the final analysis, a disaster. He worked tirelessly to try and improve Russia's status in the world and the condition of her people. However, both efforts fell short of even Nicholas' expectations. Basing all of his actions on faith and loyalty, instead of the inherent human nature of free will, created a state of disarray and a recipe for rebellion. In his later years, Nicholas was a worn, tired and disappointed man.

The final blow came when Russia found herself embroiled in a pointless conflict in Crimea (1853-56), facing an opposition comprised of the Turkish Sultan and his allies; England, France and Austria. The conflict was brought about by something called the Eastern Question. Russian and France had been battling over who should have control of the Palestinian holy lands which were part of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish Sultan declared war on Russia when the latter took over Moldavia. The Crimean War centered around the Russian naval stronghold at Sevastopol. The tsar's forces were helpless against the combined foreign army. Nicholas considered this military defeat a personal one; his own failure on behalf of his people and in the Face of God. He died a broken and disturbed man on February 18, 1855, at the age of 60.

In defense of Nicholas I, he was an extremely devoted ruler who saw his absolute reign as a service to both God and country. Simply put, he approached his programs and efforts in a very narrow way. Failing to take into account the human element and nature, Nicholas' efforts to make Russia a better place to live and a respected giant in the world community failed and fueled the fires of future peasant and working class rebellion.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955