Book description
This book tells the story of one of the most astonishing dramas in
Europe's history. In the summer of 1812 after years of uneasy peace,
Napoleon, the master of almost the whole continent, marched into
Russia with the largest army ever assembled, confident that he would
sweep everything before him. Less than two years later the Russian
army was itself marching into Paris and Napoleon's empire lay in ruins.
Using an array of new, rare and surprising sources, Dominic Lieven
writes with great panache and insight to describe from the Russians'
viewpoint how they went from retreat, defeat and the burning of Moscow
to becoming the new liberators of Europe. He conveys the savagery and
valour of the fighting (including such huge set-pieces as the Battle
of Leipzig), the often tense diplomacy that held together the Allied
coalition against Napoleon and the astonishing feats of supply which
allowed the Russian army to cut its way across Europe. The
consequences of these events could not have been more important: after
a whole generation of fighting, Europe (except for the brief coda of
Waterloo) was at peace and France's global pretensions at an end. But
the great winners, Britain and Russia, now presented new nightmares
for the rest of the world.
Much more than just battlefield history, Russia Against Napoleon
is also the story of how Russia's home front was mobilised against
Napoleon and how much the Russian people suffered in pursuit of
victory. It is too the story of one of the most successful espionage
operations in history. Ultimately this book shows, memorably and
brilliantly, Russia embarking on its strange, central role in Europe's
existence, as both threat and protector - a role that continues, in
all its complexity, into our own lifetimes.
Lieven tells it with all the verve of the enthusiast and the
erudition of the fine scholar he is . . . The result is a balanced,
informed and entirely convincing explanation of how Russia was able to
defeat the Napoleonic empire. It is also a perfect marriage of
scholarship and engaging narrative that fills a yawning gap in the
historiography of the period, while entertaining the reader Dominic
Lieven has spent many years studying Imperial Russia and is the author
of the highly praised
Empire: The Russian Empire and Its Rivals
. He is Professor of Russian Government at the London School of
Economics. He lives in London.
