First Published in 1963, The Kremlin presents the story of a gigantic citadel, of its grandeur and its horrors, of its masters, famous and infamous, and of the scenes, both splendid and terrible, which its stones have witnessed since the Kremlin’s foundation. The Kremlin has for centuries been the nerve-centre of Russian history. Everything has had its origins in its precincts. The history of Russia from the twelfth century, with a brief interval during which power was transferred to Petrograd, is inextricably bound up with its development. It was there that the czars were crowned and buried and on many occasions, it was the scene of their assassination. Everything was nurtured there: religion, dreams of power, absolutism, favoritism, cruel repression, and sheer insanity. But through triumphs, setbacks and tragic period of chaos, the rulers, whatever their names, have pursued the same policy.
This fascinating history of the Kremlin is a must read for scholars and researchers of Russian history and Russian politics.
Introduction Part I: From Its Foundation to the Accession of Elizabeth (1100-1741) 1. The Legend 2. The Foundation of Moscow 3. The Mongol Victory 4. The Rebuilding of Moscow 5. Alexander Nevsky and Yuri Danilovich 6. Ivan I Kalita 7. Simeon the Proud and Ivan II 8. Dimitri Donskoy and the Defeat of the Tartars 9. Vassili I 10. Vassili the Blind 11. Ivan III 12. Vassili III 13. Ivan the Terrible 14. Boris Godunov 15. The False Dimitri 16. The Polish Epoch 17. Michael Romanov 18. Alexis Mikhaylovich 19. Feodor 20. The Regent Sophia 21. The Accession of Peter 22. The Azov Expedition 23. Peter goes West 24. The Slaughter of the Streltzi 25. The Swedish Wars 26. The Peace of Nystad and the Execution of the Czarevich Alexis 27. The Rise of St Petersburg 28. Catherine I and Peter II 29. Anna Ivanovna 30. The Accession of Elizabeth Interlude in St Petersburg 1741-1918 Part II: From the Revolution to the Present Day 1. Stalin Enters Kremlin 2. The Death of Lenin 3. Stalin’s Troyka 4. Intrigues within the Kremlin 5. The Defeat of Trotsky 6. Alliluyeva’s Suicide 7. The Road to Dictatorship 8. The Liquidation of the Opposition 9. The Shadow of War 10. The Ribbentrop Agreement 11. Churchill in the Kremlin 12. Death of a Dictator
Biography
Victor Alexandrov and Translated by Roy Monkcom
