Scenarios of power : myth and ceremony in Russian monarchy from Peter the Great to the abdication of Nicholas II / Richard S. Wortman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wortman, Richard S.

Series:

Studies of the Harriman Institute.

Studies of the Harriman Institute Columbia University

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Russia--Social life and customs--18th century.

Russia.

Russia--Social life and customs--19th century.

Russia--Court and courtiers.

Russia--Kings and rulers.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (509 p.)

Edition:

New Abridged One-Volume

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey ; Oxfordshire, England : Princeton University Press, 2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This new and abridged edition of Scenarios of Power is a concise version of Richard Wortman's award-winning study of Russian monarchy from the seventeenth century until 1917. The author breaks new ground by showing how imperial ceremony and imagery were not simply displays of the majesty of the sovereign and his entourage, but also instruments central to the exercise of absolute power in a multinational empire. In developing this interpretation, Wortman presents vivid descriptions of coronations, funerals, parades, trips through the realm, and historical celebrations and reveals how these ceremonies were constructed or reconstructed to fit the political and cultural narratives in the lives and reigns of successive tsars. He describes the upbringing of the heirs as well as their roles in these narratives and relates their experiences to the persistence of absolute monarchy in Russia long after its demise in Europe.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Illustration

Abbreviations

Prefatory Note

Introduction. Scenario of Power

PART ONE. The European Myth

CHAPTER ONE. Signs of Empire

CHAPTER TWO. Peter the Great

CHAPTER THREE. Olympian Scenarios

CHAPTER FOUR. The Education of Princes and the Dilemma of Neoclassicism

CHAPTER FIVE. The Emperor Paul I

CHAPTER SIX. The Angel on the Throne

CHAPTER SEVEN. Nicholas I

CHAPTER EIGHT. Epitomes of the Nation

CHAPTER NINE. Parents and Son

CHAPTER TEN. Alexander II and the Scenario of Love

CHAPTER ELEVEN. The Tsar-Emancipator

CHAPTER TWELVE. The Crisis of Autocracy

PART TWO: A National Myth

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. The Making of a Russian Tsar

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. The Inauguration of a National Myth

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. The Resurrection of Muscovy

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. The Life and Death of a Russian Tsar

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. Nicholas II as Heir and Husband

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. The Accession and Coronation of Nicholas II

CHAPTER NINETEEN. Demonstrations of Godliness

CHAPTER TWENTY. Nicholas II and the Revolution of 1905

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE. Historical Celebrations

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO. Nicholas II and World War I

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliographical Note

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781400849697

1400849691

OCLC:

862048552