The previous volume of The History of the Russian State deeply disappointed me with its superficiality and inconsistency in presenting the material. I even ended my review with the words, “Interest and trust in the series are rapidly declining.” However, I had no intention of stopping my reading of the series. And now, a new volume has been released, focusing on the last rulers of the Russian Empire in the 19th century—Alexander II and Alexander III.
Let me say right away: the narrative has become more coherent. There is no longer any jumping back and forth across the years of their reigns. In fact, the entire volume is presented as one continuous story. It feels almost like a computer game: you have a mission, which starts under specific initial conditions (the end of Nicholas I’s reign), and the story unfolds as two “players” take their turns, with the second stepping in after the first.
Indeed, Boris Akunin illustrates what Alexander II inherited from the exceedingly strict Nicholas I, the conqueror of the Decembrists and any form of free-thinking. And how, despite this, his successor managed to implement a significant number of progressive reforms, many of which had been envisioned by his grandfather, Alexander I.
Alexander II actively moved the empire towards a more decentralized system of governance, allowing localities to make certain decisions (or at least creating the appearance that this was possible). His most significant achievement, for which he earned the nickname “The Liberator,” was the abolition of serfdom in Russia. Yes, it wasn’t all smooth sailing—some serfs were luckier than others, while many remained tied to the land for years and were considered “free” only in a formal sense. However, it was a monumental step for the empire, especially considering that slavery had already been abolished in most of the rest of the world.
At the same time, Alexander II paid insufficient attention to other rising societal sentiments, which ultimately cost him his life. After several failed assassination attempts, one finally succeeded, largely due to the negligence of a security service unprepared for acts of terror.
Boris Akunin, as usual, provides an engaging account of this journey, delving into the lives of both the emperor’s supporters and his opponents.
Next in line is Alexander III, whose father’s tragic death profoundly affected him and became a defining influence on his relatively brief reign. The author portrays the heavy character of the future emperor and his somewhat limited intellect (a trait his tutors reportedly noted during his childhood). Moreover, Alexander was not initially groomed for the throne; he was expected to pursue a military career, and only the untimely death of his elder brother from meningitis made him the heir.
Akunin constructs the narrative to show how this lack of foresight, unpreparedness for rulership, and the traumatic death of his father shaped Alexander III’s reign. All liberties were abolished, the secret police gained unprecedented power, and dissenters were dealt with harshly. In many ways, his rule resembled that of his grandfather, Nicholas I, but the times had changed. Policies that once worked were shortsighted in the new reality, serving only to further inflame the fires of terror and the coming revolution, which would overthrow his son and destroy the Russian Empire entirely.
Today, monuments to Alexander III are being erected in Russia, though he remains a highly controversial figure in history. The term “genocide” is not out of place when discussing his reign, given his overt hatred towards Jews and the official support for antisemitism during his time. This, in turn, drove many young Jews into the ranks of terrorist groups. Thus, it’s hard for me to understand why such a person is being commemorated with monuments 130 years after his death. The nickname “Peacemaker” seems hardly fitting, in my view; through his actions, he kindled both racial hatred and the spark of revolution with his decidedly unpeaceful policies.
Nevertheless, this book is better than the previous one, and it is all the more engaging because it covers a period much closer to our own times, with many of the figures being far more familiar to us.
Yet the main drawback of the series remains evident: Boris Akunin is far more interested in the personalities of the rulers, their inner circles, and state politics than in other aspects of the era. Just as he “forgot” to mention Pushkin in the previous volume, in this one, he entirely leaves culture out of the picture. Achievements in this field are given almost no attention, as if there is no room for culture in Akunin’s version of the history of the Russian state. This is very strange, considering that it was thanks to numerous cultural figures that Russia began to make a name for itself on the global stage, and their names are still recognized worldwide. But in Akunin’s narrative, neither Fyodor Dostoevsky nor Leo Tolstoy seem to exist as writers. Tolstoy is mentioned, but more as a participant in military events.
Still, it’s interesting to see what the next volume will bring and how Boris Akunin will portray the decline of the Russian Empire.
My rating: 4/5
