Russia's Rulers under the Old Regime - D. Lieven

What constituted the Russian ruling élite during the regime of the last Tsar before the Revolution? How did high-level politics operate in Imperial Russia's last years? To answer these questions. Dominic Lieven has probed deeply into the lives of the 215 men appointed by Nicolas II to the State Council, which contained all important members of the Russian governmental system of that era.

Basing his research on Soviet archival sources that have never before been examined, Lieven describes the social, ethnic, educational, and career background of these men, and explores the formation of their outlooks, their political views, and how their attitudes and opinions were influenced by their differing backgrounds and careers. He traces the history of the Russian ruling élite from its earliest origins through to the collapse of the old regime. His striking conclusions about the resilience of the old aristocratic Russian families and the operation of their self-protective, career-advancing network are an indispensable contribution to the comparative and theoretical study of elites.

Lieven's account of the balance of power between the bureaucrats and their monarchs brings to like the members of the last ruling élite and reveals new information about the role and personality of the Emperor Nicholas II. By making regular comparisons with aristocratic élites elsewhere, it sets the distinctive Russian experience in a broader European context. And by looking at Russia's problems through the eyes of its ruling aristocracy, it gives a fresh perspective on the situation that led to the Russian Revolution

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