Nicholas i of russia biography books

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Nicholas i of russia biography books

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Buy this book Fetching prices. December 20, History. An edition of Nicholas I, emperor and autocrat of all the Russias He crushed Poland, allied himself with the monarchies he considered reliable, Prussia and Austria, and supported the feeble Ottomans before he turned on them. And like that war, Nicholas' Crimean War resulted from the same kind of missteps and miscalculations amid shifting alliances.

It also exposed the hollowness of the mighty Russian Army, an untrained mass without real guns or an industry to manufacture them. He was initially curious about his vast realm, but his fear led him to rely on a tiny group of advisors, to encourage the censors and the domestic spies. The conspiracy that earned Dostoevsky a cruel mock execution appears to have been a debating society that was falling apart of its own volition.

But what evidently started in nicholas i of russia biography books turned into fear by the end of his reign; he created the infamous security apparatus known as the Third Section, and his censors were unhinged: they banned Plato and Tacitus, and mentions of a republic in classical works. Their hands squeezed Russian culture so tight that, Lincoln finds, culture virtually ceased.

In his reliance on the security apparatus, his capricious application of punishment, and his faith in his own system, he provides an eerily accurate forecast of the Soviets. Alexander I had always seemed like such an enigmatic, fascinating person to me I came away from that book with the feeling that Alexander was charismatic but a real narcissist with a God complex.

Nicholas I did not exactly light the world on fire, either. He was anti-change, anti-intellectual, anti-Western Europe, and encouraged bureaucracy and stifled creativity and original thought. He was so desperate to maintain the Romanov dynasty and was so sure in his convictions The author states in the first few pages that he wants to shed new light on Nicholas I's reign and present a comprehensive account in a historical context.

He certainly does, but there is very little to like about Nicholas I. What a shame that neither Alexander I nor Nicholas I inherited the brilliance of their grandmother, Catherine the Great. Lincoln really knows his stuff. He does a great job of engaging other scholars on the issue of Nicholas I, and showing that Russia's isolation, and history of absolute rule lead to the policies under Nicholas I that many consider backwards.

Not so much the man himself, although Lincoln does not totally absolve him of blame. Kevin Moynihan. Great book. Incredibly in-depth. Almost all original Russian sources. Shows how an autocratic regime ensures backwardness and decline. The area of concentration in my History Minor was Russian History. However, much of the study was concentrated on Peter the Great.

Consequently, I have always been somewhat weak in my knowledge of the time of Nicholas I and of Russia's involvement in the Crimean War. Recently, I have been writing for Wikipedia on topics like the Crimean War using other books in my library as sources--including the book by W. Thus, I purchased this book to obtain more of that sort of detail and the the book has not let me down.

Rare biography of an important figure. This biography is very immediate. One feels like he is getting to know the characters. The reader appriciates Nicholas' personality while showing how the "System" is evolved for governing his empire worked. The reader tends to reflect on the ways in which the limitations of the System and the inabilty his successors lead to its collaps in The book is sympathetic and is trying to rehabilitate the reputation of an Emperor who is often remembered as a reactionary despot.

I am a layperson trying to learn more about Russian history. I think the author was well researched and has a nice narrative style for writing history. Unfortunately, I feel the author ruins his narrative style by repeating points, often even literally repeating entire supporting quotations, throughout the book. It's as if the author thought I didn't get it the first time.

Good author, but needs an editor. One person found this helpful. This is a superb, well researched, highly organized, and very readable biography of an important Russian emperor. The author provides an indepth description and intelligent analysis of Nicholas' personality and character, the emperor's orientation to autocratic rule, Russian political, economic, social, and cultural history during his reign, and the importance of the political, economic, and social influences of Western European nations on Russia.

Lincoln goes much beyond just presenting a chronology of events, by explaining why historical events happened as they did. The final epilogue nicely places the reign of Nicholas in the broader context of Russian history that preceded his reign and the events that would unfold subsequent to his time. My only slight criticism of the book is that maps were not included.

Nevertheless, it is one of the best historical biographies I have ever read. Lincoln's larger worker, The Romanozs is equally terrific. See more reviews. Edward Henry Michelsen. Emperor of All the Russias