
The Last Tsar
The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Remove from wishlist failed.
Please try again later
Adding to library failed
Please try again
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
LIMITED TIME OFFER
3 months free
£8.99/mo thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Offer ends 31 July 2025 at 23:59 GMT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
-
Narrated by:
-
Gareth Armstrong
About this listen
'Impressive, often brilliant' THE TIMES
'Mesmerising and damning' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Certain to become the definitive work' DOUGLAS SMITH
'Elegantly written and magisterially researched' ROBERT SERVICE
'Masterful . . . a chilling lesson' VLADISLAV ZUBOK
The definitive story behind the self-destruction of the autocratic Romanov dynasty, by the world's foremost expert.
When Tsar Nicholas II fell from power in 1917, Imperial Russia faced a series of overlapping crises, from war to social unrest. Though Nicholas's life is often described as tragic, it was not fate that doomed the Romanovs - it was poor leadership and a blinkered faith in autocracy.
Based on a trove of new archival discoveries, The Last Tsar narrates how Nicholas's resistance to reform doomed the monarchy. Encompassing the captivating personalities of the era, it untangles the struggles between the increasingly isolated Nicholas and Alexandra and the factions of scheming nobles, ruthless legislators, and pragmatic generals who sought to stabilize the restive Russian empire either with the Tsar or without him. By rejecting compromise, Nicholas undermined his supporters at crucial moments. His blunders cleared the way for all-out civil war and the eventual rise of the Soviet Union.
Definitive and engrossing, The Last Tsar uncovers how Nicholas II stumbled into revolution, taking his family, the Romanov dynasty, and the whole Russian Empire down with him.©2024 Tsuyoshi Hasegawa (P)2024 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Critic reviews
The capstone to a brilliant career, The Last Tsar is certain to become the definitive work on the chaotic, earth-shattering demise of the Romanov destiny. No historian before has dissected these tumultuous days with such clarity, precision, and insight (Douglas Smith, author of RASPUTIN)
A terrific account of the February 1917 Revolution in Russia that knocks down many of the pillars of our usual interpretations. Elegantly written and magisterially researched (Robert Service, author of A HISTORY OF MODERN RUSSIA)
An intimate and highly absorbing account of Russia's last hereditary autocrat. It is likely to be the definitive one for many years to come. From the cult surrounding Rasputin to the tense minute-by-minute plotting of the generals, Duma politicians, aristocrats, and the tsar himself, The Last Tsar brilliantly conveys the messy reality of imperial power coming apart at the seams (Lewis Siegelbaum, Emeritus Professor, Michigan State University)
Hasegawa's masterful book is like a slow-motion picture of Russia approaching the edge. Yet only the weakness, inaction and stupidity of the last Tsar, as well as the stunning recklessness of the Russian elites, pushed the empire into the breach. A chilling lesson on how the ineptness of one man, and the opportunism of many, can pull down not only an outdated regime, but the entire temple of state, law, and civil society (Vladislav Zubok, author of COLLAPSE)
Mesmerising and damning (Daily Telegraph)
An impressive, often brilliant book. The detail is mind-boggling and the skill with which political convolutions are unravelled is admirable (The Times)
Enjoyed it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A missed opportunity
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Nothing new in this book if you have read similar before.
I really wouldn’t bother.
Dnf due to getting fed up with constant misogyny and archaic viewpoint.
Misogynistic Ramblings.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.