Political Reform in the Ottoman and Russian Empires

Adrian Brisku is Lecturer in history at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. He is the author of Bittersweet Europe (2013).

• Introduction Part I: Men versus Institutions: Law and Religion 1. Quests for Fundamental Change: ‘True Monarchy’ and the ‘Holy Alliance’ 2. ‘Alternation and Complete Renewal of Ancient Custom’: An Unattainable Pledge Part II: Managing the Future: From Law to Political Economy and Political Representation3. Empire and Progress 4. A Constitutional EmpireEpilogue, From Reform to Revolution: Imperial Core in Turmoil BibliographyIndex

[A] highly readable comparative account of the ultimately unsuccessful trajectories of political reform in the Ottoman and Russian Empires … [A] good introduction to students and nonspecialists seeking to learn the basic narrative and gain some comparative insight into top-down reform projects in the nineteenth century.