Russia, 1762-1825

"Janet Hartley's work is a thoughtful and deeply informed study of the sinews of Russian power in the period when Russia was widely seen as possessing Europe's most formidable military machine. It also looks closely at the impact of war and military power on Russian state and society. Even historians of Russia will learn much from this book. For non-Russianists it will be a crucial source of new information but also a stimulating and often surprising aid to thoughtful comparisons about military power, modernization, and the militarization of society in eighteenth and nineteenth-century Europe." -- Dominic Lieven, Professor, London School of Economics "In this splendidly documented study of the relationship between the Russian armed forces and society in the years 1762-1825, Hartley successfully challenges the idea that Russia became a garrison state. Her book will be required reading by those interested in the modernization of Russia." -- Isabel de Madariaga, Emeritus Professor of Russian Studies in the University of London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies

A study of the Russian Empire at the peak of its military power and success (1762-1825), this important book examines how a country with none of the obvious trappings of modernization was able to significantly expand its territory.

A study of the Russian Empire at the peak of its military power and success (1762-1825), this important book examines how a country with none of the obvious trappings of modernization was able to significantly expand its territory. Russia's military and naval victories culminated in the triumphal entrance of Russian forces into Paris in 1814 in celebration of the defeat of Napoleon. Hartley's treatment is wide-ranging and discusses many aspects of the nature of the Russian state and society-not merely issues such as recruitment, but also institutional, legal, and fiscal structures of the state, the unique nature of Russian industrialization and social organization at the urban and village level, as well as the impact on cultural life. She covers the reign of two of Russia's most prominent rulers: Catherine II (1762-1796) and Alexander I (1801-25).

How could a country lacking modernized structures-political, institutional, social, fiscal, economic, industrial, and cultural-sustain this level of military effort and support the largest standing army in Europe? What impact did the strain of this commitment of men and money, including the invasion of 1812, have on the state and society-particularly on those who were either conscripted or the dependents they left behind? Despite the success of the Russian state, by 1825 the strains would become almost unsustainable.