Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar

I have been an avid consumer of Russian history books since I was a small child. (My father taught Russian history). I had always admired Emperor Alexander II, who freed the peasants from centuries-old enslavement, and tried to steer Russia on a moderate course. I had always wondered why this handsome, kindly, romantic and very able ruler never got a good modern biography like Russia's other two great rulers, Peter the Great, and Catherine the Great.Edvard Radzinsky's book definitely meets the need for a readable, dramatic account of Alexander II's life. It reads like a historical novel, filled with drama and intrigue.But it is the true story of a hero who was eventually murdered -- just as he was preparing Russsia's first constitution -- and who may have been betrayed to his death through an odd alliance between his opponents on the extreme left and the extreme right, neither of whom wanted Alexander to create a moderate, constitutional government.I had not known that Alexander's court also feared that he would replace the heir to the throne -- his very conservative, reactionary oldest son, Grand Duke Alexander, with his much younger half-brother, Gregory, Alexander's son by a mistress that he had recently married.It is a valuable cautionary tale for anyone seeking to create major societal change -- or anyone seeking an absorbing, eventful story as fascinating as any of the novels of Tolstoy or Dostoevsky that were written during Alexander's reign.

The end of an era in Russia is chronicled in this biography. While not the last tsar, Alexander was the last to make true contributions, and Radzinsky sees him as a Russian Abraham Lincoln: just as Lincoln freed the slaves, Alexander freed the serfs. And eventually both men were brought down by assassins; in Alexander's case by a group of terrorists, which in itself makes this book relevant to today. And Radzinsky is also that rare historian who is also a great storyteller. Entertaining and informative, the book is worth a read by students of Russian history or anyone else who wants to compare another country with ours.

I think this is a great book. The author is a very lively writer. It's about the assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia by revolutionaries. He delves into the highest levels of the aristocracy and explores the subterranean revolutionary forces that were to change history by his assassination. But really what's interesting to me is that he includes Dostoyevsky and Russia's intellectual community as part of the historical narrative. It's an absolutely fascinating book!

The title of this book is "Alexander II: The last Great Tsar". While the book was well written and very interesting, I did not finish this book with the feeling that Alexander II was a great Tsar. I left the with the feeling that he was a man who meant well and did some good things for the country but was often misguided, confused and received a severe lack of respect from his subordinates. Certainly he did some great things. Freedom of the Press, freeing the Serfs etc. But he strikes me as a man who left things in control of his subordinates and made quite a few grave errors. While he may have been a decent Tsar, or maybe even a good Tsar, I do not, judged by this book, consider him to be a Great Tsar as the title of the book implies.On the other hand this is a fascinating account of a very important man in Russian History. It is well written, and intriguing enough too keep you wanting to read more. Ultimately, I give this 3 stars because I believe the author fails to prove that the man was a Great Tsar.

This English translation by Antonina W. Bouis of this Russian work is quite good. Within these 463 pages, you'll learn pretty much everything there is to know about Romanov Tsar Alexander II of Russia who reigned between 1855 and 1881.Alexander was generally regarded as a reformer, keeping in mind that prior Russian rule by his father, Nicholas I, was draconian at best; thus any liberal change was significant. Alexander's most significant reform was to free the serfs (1861). Subsequent to multiple attempts during his rule, Alexander was ultimately assassinated by revolutionaries (proto-communists) in 1881 and he was succeeded by his son, Alexander III who returned Russia to oppression, but this autocratic action came along too late to reverse the flywheel of massive political unrest.Author Edvard Radzinsky departs somewhat from the tradition of most other Russian writers who have simply told their stories with little or no concern as to the "marketability" of their finished works. The yield of this text is pretty much limited to factual information with not a huge amount of insightful speculation about Alexander's thoughts (other than political ones for which there were clearly stated motivations). This writing style is neither bad nor good in itself but simply manifests a particular reader's personal preferences.This 2005 book is illustrated with some very relevant and helpful black-and-white photographs and artwork. As a contemporary work, the author had the advantage over earlier-period authors who were forced to garner their facts under the Soviet Union's communist regime -- Radzinsky was clearly afforded full access to information about his subject.The book's subtitle ("The Last Great Tsar") is somewhat misleading in that Alexander could be pretty rotten when he so desired, especially regarding the Romanov propensity to bed any woman who struck their fancy.If I have a critical comment about this work it would be that newbies to Russian culture and to the royals in particular will have difficulty in keeping the principals straight since so many family names were used and re-used to the extreme. I've read piles of books about Russia, its people, and its leadership and I still had to "go back" from time to time and re-read what Radzinsky had said.Overall, for those folks who are particularly interested in Russia and its people, I can definitely recommend this book.

Great overview of his reign, and the political climate which led to his assassination; and ultimately the Revolution. Originally written in Russian, Radzinsky provides a view onto some Russian cultural insights to non-Russian readers. Very enjoyable read.

In this book Edvard Radzinsky puts forward a compelling suggestion that there was a conspiracy within the court to kill Alexander; and this may have even included his son, the future Alexander III. Of course, the author never really states this openly, but rather only presents the question. There is no actual proof for this claim, but yet it is still an interesting one. Was it possible that various members of the government allowed the terrorists to be successful? Based on the bit of information Radzinsky presents, it does seem plausible.Radsinsky's book is a very intersting look at the conflicted reign of Alexander II. A liberator of the serfs, he was at the same time disillusioned by the results, leading to measures both reactionary and oppressive. It seems that only at the end was he planning to return to the great liberal values espoused early in his reign. Could it be that he died in order to protect the power and autocracy of the Russian nobility?I do take issue with one thing, however. On the back of the book, Alexander II is referred to as "Russia's Lincoln." Quoting from Wikipedia, "his brutal secret police, known as the Third Section, sent thousands of dissidents into exile in Siberia." I don't remember Lincoln doing that. And he also wasn't so nice in his territories of Poland and Lithuania. He may of have freed the serfs, but he was a tsar, not a democratically elected President. He was by no means a Lincoln, by any stretch of the imagination.That said, this book is necessary reading for anyone interested in nineteenth century Russian history. Would definitely recommend.

1880年２月５日、皇帝アレクサンドル２世の宮殿で、皇帝が家族や客と食堂に入らうとしたその時、テロリストが持込んだダイナマイトが直下の部屋で炸裂、大勢の衞兵が死亡――都合５度目の暗殺未遂。物情騷然たるロシアの首都ペテルブルクで、事件の９ヵ月後、畢生の著「カラマーゾフの兄弟」の續篇を構想してゐたドストエフスキーの、住居の隣に越して來た男は――。農奴解放などの大改革を成し遂げたアレクサンドル2世でしたが、その改革は厄介な副産物を生み出しました。「惡靈」のピョートル・ヴェルホーヴェンスキーのモデルであるネチャーエフから、皇帝暗殺を成功させた女テロリスト、ソフィア・ペロフスカヤに至る、崇高な目的のためにはいかなる手段も赦される、たとひ誰が卷添へになつて死んでも構はないと結論し、そのとほり實行した革命家たちです。皇帝の最期の詳細な敍述もさることながら、この書はドストエフスキーの死について、ある假説を提出してをり、それが私には驚きでした。アリョーシャ・カラマーゾフが皇帝を暗殺する「續篇」の構想があつたといふことを聞き齧つてはゐましたが、「第一部」からは想像できない展開なので、今まで半信半疑だつたところ、偶然と片付けるには怪しすぎる證據を示され、多少ドストエフスキー觀の修正を迫られた次第です。今や珍しくない爆彈テロを本格的に始めたのは、このロシアのテロリストたちで、そもそも彼らがさういふ手段を思ひついたのは、1867年にアルフレッド・ノーベルがダイナマイトを發明したからなのださうです。

Wonderful book - thoroughly enjoyable. Good writer. Will read more of his books.

Well written and detailed book about the tsar..