The European myth -- Signs of empire -- Peter the Great -- Olympian scenarios -- The education of princes and the dilemma of neoclassicism -- The Emperor Paul I -- The angel on the throne -- Nicholas I -- Epitomes of the nation -- Parents and son -- Alexandar II and the scenario of love -- The tsar-emancipator -- The crisis of autocracy -- A national myth -- The making of a Russian tsar -- The inauguration of a national myth -- The resurrection of Muscovy -- The life and death of a Russian tsar -- Nicholas II as heir and husband -- The accession and coronation of Nicholas II -- Demonstrations of godliness -- Nicholas II and the Revolution of 1905 -- Historical celebrations -- Nicholas II and World War I
Summary
This new and abridged edition of Scenarios of Power is a concise version of Richard Wortman's award-winning study of Russian monarchy from the seventeenth century until 1917. The author breaks new ground by showing how imperial ceremony and imagery were not simply displays of the majesty of the sovereign and his entourage, but also instruments central to the exercise of absolute power in a multinational empire. In developing this interpretation, Wortman presents vivid descriptions of coronations, funerals, parades, trips through the realm, and historical celebrations and reveals how
