The Economics of the Russian Village

An insightful look into the forces that shaped Russia’s rural world, this work uses the devastating famine of the early 1890s as a lens to explore the economic and social fabric of the Russian village. The author, drawing on personal experience and a wealth of Russian scholarship, explains how the traditional communal system—known as the mir—came to symbolize both the nation’s historic identity and the source of heated debate between Western‑leaning reformers and staunch Slavophiles.

Beyond the stark statistics of hunger, the narrative traces the intellectual currents of the 1840s, when ideas of socialism and nihilism began to ripple through Russian universities and salons. By examining the clash of agrarian communism with emerging liberal thought, the book offers listeners a nuanced portrait of a society at a crossroads, illuminating the roots of the reforms and tensions that would shape Russia’s future.