Krivoshein, K. A.

A. V. Krivoshein (1857–1921 g.): Ego znachenie v istorii Rossii nachala XX veka [A. V. Krivoshein, 1857–1921: His Role in the History of Early 20th-Century Russia]

Paris: Izdanie avtora, 1973. Item #1408

350 pages: portrait. 24 cm. Publisher’s printed wrappers. Moderate foxing and creasing to cover; internally clean.

This detailed biographical study, authored by Kirill Aleksandrovich Krivoshein (1904–1977), the subject’s son and a longtime Russian émigré in France, presents a comprehensive and intimate portrait of one of the last towering figures of the Russian imperial bureaucracy, Aleksandr Vasilevich Krivoshein. A pivotal architect of agrarian reform and an influential figure in Stolypin’s government, Krivoshein later emerged as a conservative statesman during the collapse of the old regime, ultimately serving as head of the anti-Bolshevik Crimean government in 1920. Drawing upon both private family materials and public records, the author situates his father’s life within the broader political and social upheavals of early 20th-century Russia.

Chapters trace Krivoshein’s administrative reforms in land policy, his role in settling Siberia and managing Central Asian development, his conflicts with contemporary statesmen like V. N. Kokovtsov, and his uneasy relationship with Rasputin. Special emphasis is given to the internal workings of the imperial court and the wartime premierships of 1914–15. The work concludes with a detailed account of the Civil War years, including Krivoshein’s leadership of the “Right Center” in Moscow, his involvement in the White movement, and his final political endeavors in Crimea before his death in exile in Berlin. An invaluable and meticulously sourced contribution to the historiography of Russia’s twilight imperial years, notable for its depth and firsthand perspective. Rare.

Price: $150.00