Empire: The Russian Empire and Its Rivals [Hardcover]

Lieven's compelling assessment of the forces behind the decline of political imperialism tend to sink from view in his dense, far-reaching historical investigation. The first chapter's discussion of the shifting definitions of empire, though at times taxing to the reader's attention, is astute and evenhanded. With the czarist and Soviet empires as his primary focus, Lieven (Russia's Rulers Under the Old Regime) bolsters his study with treatments of various empires, beginning with ancient China and Rome. His expertise on czarist Russia informs the book's outstanding section on this period. Lieven, professor at the London School of Economics, argues that the Russian empire was stronger than the declining Ottoman and Hapsburg empires and, in the 19th century, exerted power comparable to that of the British Empire. He explicates the role of World War I in the downfall of the czarist regime cleanly and convincingly: wartime preoccupation and weakening of Russian elites and of capitalist Europe precluded significant counterrevolution. And while a variety of external and domestic forces contributed to the demise of the Soviet empire, Lieven attributes much to the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. In the end, he says, the U.S.S.R. was likely the last empire in the strict sense of the word: "The lesson of Soviet history is that empire does not pay in today's world, even in terms of its own narrow priorities of power." The book's broad, scholarly worldview will appeal to a readership of academics and lay historians. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

British author Lieven, a Russian scholar who has written a biography of Nicholas II and other works on pre-Soviet Russia, here offers an ambitious, even groundbreaking book. After a review of Rome and Byzantium, a glance at China, and a rejection of the notion of a U.S. empire, Lieven zeroes in on four historical exemplars: the British, Ottoman, Habsburg, and Russian (both tsarist and Soviet) empires. The two Russian ones engage the lion's share of his attention. He is defensive about the difficulties in defining his subject, but his fears that he will be criticized as "a poor Russianist" for his audacity are unwarranted. He has in fact done a very impressive job, using shrewd judgments to draw upon an extensive bibliography. His final section, "After Empire," is particularly timely, offering much food for thought. For public and academic libraries. Robert H. Johnston, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.