This is an analytical account of a colorful period in Russian history, which is accessible to undergraduates of European and Russian history, as well as to the nonspecialist reader. Central to a discussion that emphasizes Russia's place in Europe are the much misunderstood personalities of some remarkable rulers, such as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and Alexander I. Their reigns are set in the context of wider developments in social, economic, cultural and intellectual history that help to account for Russia's emergence as a great power.

Hans Rogger's study of Russia under the last two Tsars takes as its starting point what the Russians themselves saw as the central issue confronting their nation: the relationship between state and society, and its effects on politics, economics and class in these critical years.