Khitrov D.A. Stanziani Alessandro. After Oriental  Despotism: Eurasian Growth in a  Global Perspective. London:  Bloomsbury, 2014. 219 p.

Abstract: The review introduces the new comparative study of A. Stanziani, a renowned French historian, to the Russian specialists, discussing the author’s general approach, thesis and arguments. The book considers the dominant concepts of West European and American historiography on the specifics of Russian variant of the transformations of the Early Modern era. Using the wide range of modern historiography, A. Stanziani reveals that the conventional perceptions of the major problems of Russian history of that period strongly affect the general schemes of historical development, which often contradicts the current level of knowledge attained by specialists. The reviewer suggests that the work of A. Stanziani, with its balanced and broad vision, is an important step to overcoming the alienation between the studies of Russian history in Russia and abroad, and is of great importance for both Russian and Western specialists.

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