By R. Van Bergen. Written just after the end of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904, this masterful history of Russia from its earliest times captures the spirit and essence of the creation of Tsarist Russia. Written by a visiting American scholar, this book is unique in that it spelled out precisely the racial reasons for much of Russia’s turmoil, from the brutal invasion by the Huns to the centuries’ long occupation by the Khanate in the south.
Starting with the earliest known historical inhabitants—the Scythians—this work moves through each phase of Russian history, encompassing the arrival of the Indo-European Slavs, the Viking Rus, the creation of the great capital cities of Kiev and Moscow, the emergence of the Tsars—and the terrible effects of the Asiatic invasions.
The author correctly predicts the downfall of the Tsarist system, blaming the baneful influence of Asiatics, and concludes:
“No one knows what the morrow will bring, either to us or to the Slav. Yet it seems absurd to suppose that, after the lessons of corruption and incompetence of the present government, the educated Russians will remain quiescent while the great empire continues on its downward course.
“Mediævalism has come into contact with the spirit of the twentieth century, and has been found wanting. It seems as if the dawn of a new era for Russia is at hand.”
Contents:
I. The Realm of the Czar
II. Early Records of Russia
III. The Norsemen (or Varingians) in Russia
IV. Saint Vladimir and Iaroslaf the Great
V. A Russian Republic
VI. Troublous Times
VII. The Yellow Peril
VIII. Russia under the Mongol Yoke
IX. Lithuania and Moscow
X. Decline of the Tartar Power
XI. Ivan III, the Great
XII. Russia becomes an Autocracy
XIII. Ivan IV, the Terrible
XIV. Russia under Ivan the Terrible
XV. Feodor, the Last of Rurik’s Descendants
XVI. Michael Feodorovitch (Son of Theodore) the First Romanof
XVII. Early Years of Peter the Great (Peter Alexievitch)
XVIII. Peter the Great and His Reign
XIX. Peter the Great and His Time
XX. The Successors of Peter the Great
XXI. Russia under Catherine II (the Great)
XXII. Russia during the Wars of Napoleon
XXIII. An Eventful Period
XXIV. Alexander II, the Liberator
XXV. Great Events during Alexander’s Reign
XXVI. Alexander III, the Peasants’ Friend
XXVII. Russia Methods: The War with Japan
XXVIII. The Origin and Growth of the Asiatic Empire
XXIX. Russian Methods. The War with Japan
XXX. Russia Loses Her Prestige
About the author: Robert Van Bergen M.A. was one of the first Americans to enter Japan after that nation ended its centuries of isolation following the famous Admiral Perry incident, and won renown in the Asiatic nation for teaching English to its nobility, becoming Principal of the Nobles’ School in Tokyo. While there, he wrote the first comprehensive histories of Japan to appear in English, and acquired considerable additional fame in the West as a result. Later, his visits to Russia intrigued his curiosity as to the nature of the Tsarist regime, prompting his famous history of that nation.
B & W paperback, 194 pages, 6″ x 9″, $10.95
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B & W hardcover, $23.95
