'The History of Russia in the 19th Century' by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Andrei Borisovich Zubov is not a chronological retelling of events, but a reflection on the reasons that hastened the possibility of the demise of 'historical Russia.' The catastrophe of the early 20th century, Professor Zubov believes, has much deeper roots than is commonly believed. A careful study of these causes helps not only better understand the past, but also explain the present.

The first volume covers a crucial period in the country's transition to modern statehood—attempts to abolish serfdom, draft a constitution, and the establishment of a new order in Europe thanks to Alexander I. These largely unsuccessful reforms, however, changed the thinking of the Russian elite and laid the foundations for Russian culture's Golden Age and the Great Reforms of the era of Alexander II.