REFORM AND REGICIDE: THE REIGN OF PETER III OF RUSSIA (HCw/DJ, Signed, 1993)

Description: Brand New---Signed and dedicated by author The victim of a coup engineered by his wife, the future Catherine the Great, who portrayed him as "a libertine, a halfwit, and a drunkard whose contempt for ordinary decency and for his country made imperative his removal," Emperor Peter III has received short shrift from Russian and Western historians. Challenging traditional interpretations, Carol S. Leonard argues that the policies and legislation pursued by Peter III during his short reign in 1762 were not foolish and arbitrary but rather were firmly rooted in the traditions of Russian absolutism and the intellectual climate of the mid-eighteenth century. Leonard views Peter III as a serious ruler who, with a circle of talented advisors, instituted fundamental changes of an enlightened nature. Important turning points during Peter III's reign involved the emancipation of the nobility from compulsory service, the secularization of church property, the institution of progressive economic policies, the extrication of Russia from its costly participation in the Seven Years War, and the inception of an alliance with Prussia that was to be the cornerstone of Russian foreign policy through much of the Imperial period. Review (2016, 5 stars): Extremely well researched and thorough, second probably only to Mylnikov's work and even then I think it's more that they are different in type and mission - Mylnikov's book is a biography, Leonard's is a political analysis. Of course some arguments require a bit of conjecture or inferences, but Leonard is mostly very carefully about discussing the faults of various available sources. This book makes some interesting arguments, some of which are a little more contentious than others (i.e. it is difficult to defend some aspects of Peter's foreign policy. Ending the war was one thing, giving away ALL the acquired land - another). But overall the argument is convincing. This book is not just a detailed analysis of Peter and his government, but also an analysis that puts the work of this government in context of its time period. It is also a thorough, reasoned debunking of the most egregious myths about Peter III. Certainly a must-read for anyone seriously interested in this period of Russian political history.

Price: 2.99 USD

Location: Plattsburgh, New York

End Time: 2024-11-12T19:27:31.000Z

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