The Empire of Russia: From the Remotest Periods to the Present Time

The narrative follows the political and cultural evolution of the Russian state from its tribal origins and early migrations through the Norman settlement and the Christianization of the principalities, chronicling successive reigns, internecine struggles, and the consolidation of power. It treats the devastation of eastern invasions and the subsequent subjection under Tartar rule, the gradual ascendancy of Moscow, and the modernization efforts and reforming tendencies of later sovereigns. Emphasis is placed on patterns of expansion, centralization, warfare, and social condition, and the book proceeds chronologically to assess the empire's mistakes, recoveries, and prospects as of the author's present.