Description: Leonard Friesen presents a study of the transformation of New Russia--the region north of the Black and Azov seas--from its conquest by the Russian Empire in the late eighteenth century to the revolutionary tumult of 1905. Friesen focuses on the multifaceted relations between the region's peasants, European colonists, and Russian estate owners.
Brief description: Leonard Friesen is Associate Professor and founding Chair of the Global Studies Program at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Review Quotes: This is an important book. In a richly documented monograph, Friesen contributes to an evolving scholarly reassessment of provincial life in imperial Russia. Against the longstanding consensus of a countryside mired in stagnation, Friesen describes the economic dynamism and demographic growth of New Russia (today, southern Ukraine) in the 19th century.--P. E. Heineman "Choice" (1/1/2010 12:00:00 AM)