Russia As It Is - Softcover

Count A. De Gurowski

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461871823 ISBN 13: 9780461871821

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

Russia As It Is by Count A. De Gurowski. This 1854 work offers a sweeping portrait of Russia as a political and social organism, balancing autocratic power with the resilient Slavic character and communal traditions. The Preface explains that the author’s aim is to reveal the heart, life, and institutions of the Russian people, not merely the actions of rulers. The Introduction traces the Slavic origin of the Russian nation and argues that Czarisin arose from a historical moment in which centralized power crystallized during Tartars rule. The following chapters examine the government’s organization, the army and navy, the nobility, clergy, bourgeoisie, the Cossacks, and the peasantry, including serfdom, presenting a critical panorama of oppression, privilege, and resistance. The author suggests that true liberty will emerge from within Russia’s own communal structures, culminating in emancipation through the commune and a future pan-Slavic destiny. He envisions a transformation where liberty and democracy spread from Russia to the wider European world, rooted in national self-consciousness and the dissolution of despotism.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461871823
• ISBN 13: 9780461871821
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 332