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thecaledonianrose's review against another edition
5.0
I thought I knew a fair bit about the fall of the Romanov dynasty in Russia; what I didn't know was that Tsar Nicholas II reluctantly abdicated in favor of his brother Michael, who became Tsar for around a day or two in the slim hopes that Russia and the House of Romanov could be salvaged by creating a constitutional monarchy whereby Michael could/would continue as Tsar by election, much as the founding member of the dynasty - Tsar Michael I Romanov - had in 1613.
The book was a fascinating read, establishing the very genuine differences between Nicholas and Michael both personally and professionally (Michael was a military commander, who did his best to circumvent the disastrous influence of Nicholas's wife Alexandra on the politics, economics, and socioreligious aspects of Russia. Had Michael been Tsar instead of Nicholas, I expect the November Revolution of 1917 might never have happened and the Romanovs would have survived.
A sad ending, of course, but also a very frank look at how the Bolsheviks seized power and manipulated the end of the monarchy and the Romanovs through violence, deceit, and ruthlessness. For anyone interested in Russian History, I highly recommend this book.
The book was a fascinating read, establishing the very genuine differences between Nicholas and Michael both personally and professionally (Michael was a military commander, who did his best to circumvent the disastrous influence of Nicholas's wife Alexandra on the politics, economics, and socioreligious aspects of Russia. Had Michael been Tsar instead of Nicholas, I expect the November Revolution of 1917 might never have happened and the Romanovs would have survived.
A sad ending, of course, but also a very frank look at how the Bolsheviks seized power and manipulated the end of the monarchy and the Romanovs through violence, deceit, and ruthlessness. For anyone interested in Russian History, I highly recommend this book.
kwurtzel3's review against another edition
4.0
Was very impressed by the Crawfords' work here. Extraordinarily thorough and very well-written.
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