'It is no mean task to write a brisk, accessible analysis of the fall of the Russian old regime which takes into account recent discoveries in social history without neglecting the traditional (and essential) virtues of politics and diplomacy. Peter Waldron has achieved that aim with exemplary clarity. A good index...well-balanced and cleverly organized thematic chapters...a model textbook that will be equally useful to undergraduates and to A-level students. If all the contributions to European History in Perspective are as good as this one, the series will be well worth having.' - Simon Dixon, History '...summaries all the latest historiography...examining the political framework of the Tsarist state, the nature of the economy, economic and social change, the place of the Tsarist empire in Europe, and the impact of the First World War...the book serves as a highly effective, accurate general guide to the period.' - A.G. Marshall, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London