The Modernisation of Russia, 1676–1825

by Simon Dixon

• ISBN13: 9780521371001
• ISBN10: 0521371007
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-08-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This is the first book to place Russia's 'long' eighteenth century squarely in its European context. The conceptual framework is set out in an opening critique of modernisation which, while rejecting its linear implications, maintains its focus on the relationship between government, economy and society. Following a chronological introduction, a series of thematic chapters (covering topics such as finance and taxation, society, government and politics, culture, ideology, and economy) emphasise the ways in which Russia's international ambitions as an emerging great power provoked administrative and fiscal reforms with wide-ranging (and often unanticipated) social consequences. This thematic analysis allows Simon Dixon to demonstrate that the more the tsars tried to modernise their state, the more backward their empire became. A chronology and critical bibliography are also provided to allow students to discover more about this colourful period of Russian history.

Author Biography

Simon Dixon is Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Glasgow.

Table of Contents

List of maps	ix
Preface	xi
Chronology	xiii
List of abbreviations	xvii
Modernisation theory and Russian history	1	(26)
Modernisation theory	1	(6)
Russian history, 1676-1825	7	(20)
Imperial great power	27	(30)
Ambitions and achievements	27	(7)
Military and naval reform	34	(8)
The primacy of foreign policy	42	(8)
The consequences of imperial expansion	50	(7)
Finance and taxation	57	(23)
Muscovite taxation	57	(4)
War and financial modernisation, 1700-1762	61	(6)
War and financial modernisation, 1762-1825	67	(7)
The burden of taxation	74	(2)
The political and social impact of taxation	76	(4)
Society	80	(38)
Social policy	80	(4)
Social identities: the peasantry	84	(9)
Social identities: the nobility	93	(3)
Social mobility	96	(9)
Social conflict	105	(13)
Government and justice	118	(34)
The court	118	(8)
Central and local government	126	(6)
Patrons, clients, and bureaucrats	132	(7)
The church in government	139	(2)
Justice	141	(11)
Culture	152	(37)
Education and literacy	152	(5)
Hierarchies of culture	157	(3)
Cosmopolitanism and national consciousness	160	(10)
Centre and periphery	170	(5)
Science and superstition	175	(5)
Religion and secularisation	180	(2)
Private and public, amateur and professional	182	(7)
Ideology	189	(32)
Tsar and state	189	(9)
State and nation	198	(11)
Church and state	209	(12)
The economy	221	(37)
Economic ideas and economic policy	222	(8)
Population and natural resources	230	(9)
Transport and technology	239	(4)
Trade and commerce	243	(5)
Agriculture and industry, town and country	248	(1)
Economic growth	249	(7)
Conclusion	256	(2)
Index	258