The Birth of the Russian Empire: Concepts and Practices of Domination in the 18th Century

The review analyses Die Geburt des Russlandischen Imperiums. Herrschaftskonzepte und -praktiken im 18. Jahrhundert. Beitrage zur Geschichte Osteuropas (The Birth of the Russian Empire: Concepts and Practices of Domination in the 18th Century) by Ricarda Vulpius. The author of the monograph focuses on the question of when Russia became an empire. Vulpius pays special attention to the discussion around this problem in relation to the eighteenth century and offers her own solution to the problem using the Begriffsgeschichte methodology. The historian connects such concepts as imperial discourse and colonialism. In her opinion, a major role in the formation of the imperial idea in Russia was played by the development of the territories of Siberia and the Far East, the Caucasus and the lands inhabited by Bashkirs, Kalmyks, and Kazakhs. Despite the thoroughness of the work carried out, the book is not without drawbacks. They are due to the narrowness of the source base of the study and the impossibility of using the Begriffsgeschichte approach in analysing the structures created for the management of the indigenous population of the Russian Empire.