Život za cara – Vydra Zbyněk (2011)

This book provides the first original Czech study of right-wing extremism in tsarist Russia. Drawing on Russian archival sources, Zbyněk Vydra examines the roots of far-right ideology in nineteenth-century conservative thought, the formation of parties and associations from the beginning of the twentieth century, and the movement’s rise during the 1905–1907 Revolution. Alongside the situation in Petrograd and Moscow, it explores conditions in various regions of the Russian Empire, including Ukraine, the Volga region and Siberia, and analyzes the far right’s activities in the State Duma. Particular attention is given to why the movement stagnated soon after its rapid rise, suffered a serious crisis through divisions within its main parties, and ultimately ceased to exist as an organized force during the First World War. The book also addresses cultural and historical questions, the parties’ membership and everyday activities, their public rituals and symbolism, and the phenomenon of antisemitism, a defining feature of the Russian far right. Zbyněk Vydra specializes in modern Russian history and the history of antisemitism.