Dmitriev Andrey V.,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Mysteries of 18th Century Russian “Revolutions”: Political and Military Aspects. – Book Review: Kurukin, I.V. (2019). Epokha “Dvorskikh Bur”. Ocherki Politicheskoi Istorii Poslepetrovskoi Rossii (1725–1762 gg.) [The Epoch of “Court Storms”. Essays on the Political History of Post-Petrine Russia (1725–1762)]. St. Petersburg, Nauka. 757 p.
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2020-2-18
The reviewed monograph, published by I.V. Kurukin, presents the author’s concept of the political history of Russia in the 18th century, specifically, the period that was called in historiography “the epoch of palace coups” (1725–1762). The author, using extensive source and bibliographic base, reconstructs in detail the military and political mechanisms, used every time the reigning monarchs replaced each other on the Russian throne during this period. I.V. Kurukin shows that in 1725–1741 the role of the military factor (Royal guard units) in these events increased, and over time the focus of activity shifted from the highest ranks to officers and even soldiers. In the 2nd half of the 18th century another trend can be traced, in which the key characteristics were an appropriate level of conspiracy in the organization of a political plot and the control of its leaders over the activities of officers and soldiers. Along with this, I.V. Kurukin analyzes the dynamics of the personnel composition of the bureaucracy in central state institutions and identifies the principles used by the supreme power for appointments and resignations after each new coup. The reviewed monograph makes a significant contribution to the study of problems of political history of 18th century Russia, identifying features of the evolution and functioning of military and civil administration in the system of imperial governing institutions.
Publishing: 29/04/2020
How to cite: Dmitriev A.V. The Mysteries of 18th Century Russian “Revolutions”: Political and Military Aspects. – Book Review: Kurukin, I.V. (2019). Epokha “Dvorskikh Bur”. Ocherki Politicheskoi Istorii Poslepetrovskoi Rossii (1725–1762 gg.) [The Epoch of “Court Storms”. Essays on the Political History of Post-Petrine Russia (1725–1762)]. St. Petersburg, Nauka. 757 p. // Historical Courier, 2020, No. 2 (10), pp. 226–231. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2020/ISTKURIER-2020-2-18.pdf
Links: Issue 2 2020
Keywords: palace coups; Russian empire; political history; 18th century