The Bottom Line
Not only the key volume for students of Nicholas II, but also a worthy stopping point for readers of modern Russian history.
Pros
- The best biography of Nicholas II.
- Well written and insightful.
Cons
- Lackluster photographs.
Description
- 292 pages, including notes and index.
- 28 black and white photographs.
- Published by Pimlico, ISBN: 0712660399.
Guide Review - Nicholas II, Emperor of all the Russias by Dominic Lieven
Popular culture has sidelined Nicholas II, framing him in relation to other people and events: the employer of Rasputin, the father of 'Anastasia', the man deposed during the revolutions of 1917. Of course, Nicholas was actually emperor of Russia's vast empire at a time of massive change, a man whom no good study of the more academically popular socialist era can ignore. Lieven's biography is widely regarded as the best ever written about Nicholas II, a balanced and empathetic text combining the methods of rulership with the demands of family life, and I see no reason to quibble with such conclusions. Students of late imperial Russia will find this required reading, while students of 'the' revolution could find themselves greatly surprised by Lieven's conclusions.Yet even this is underselling the book, for alongside the precious insights into imperial life during Nicholas' rule Lieven has assembled comparisons with the modern era; sentences like "...in significant ways Europe is closer to what it was in 1900 than to the continent of the 1930's or 1970's" (Leven, Nicholas II, pg. 252) should make some potential readers salivate. Of course, Nicholas II is a slim volume, a mere 292 pages, so you won't find great depth in these side discussions, but they add further facets to a quality book.
