The rivalry between the Moscow merchant class and the St. Petersburg elite, which lasted for nearly 300 years, was one way or another centered on the question of Russia’s modernization. The position of the Moscow bourgeoisie, whose roots lay in the peasantry, differed radically from the views of the Westernized St. Petersburg nobility. Competition between the empire’s major financial centers invariably had an impact on the politics and economy of the entire country. When and why did the antagonism between Moscow and St. Petersburg emerge? How did the beliefs and goals of the merchant class and the bureaucracy evolve? What role did the elites play in the fall of the monarchy in Russia? This book will help you trace how the ideologies of Moscow and St. Petersburg shaped the course of Russian history, from the era of Peter I through the turbulent events of 1917.
