The Foe Within: Fantasies of Treason and the End of Imperial Russia
"Fuller beautifully writes a most thoroughly research soap opera noir of political intrigue, back-stabbing, bribe-taking, graft, corruption, deceit, adultery, incompetence, and the trampling of civil rights . . . . This is a solid contribution to Russian war historiography, and it would be of interest to a wide range of readers. The professional Russian historian and the military historian will take great delight in the thoroughness of the research and the beautiful, mosaic-like quality of the study's organization. Yet its jaunty writing style and the spy-novel quality of the subject recommends it to the armchair generals and history buffs as well."—Jamie H. Cockfield, American Historical Review"This outstanding and important book fills many gaps and casts light on the hugely interesting process by which tsarism collapsed and Russia was plunged into revolution. William C. Fuller, Jr., explains Rasputin, 'Dark Forces,' and the reptilian world in which they crawled, as well as that milieu's interaction with the tsar's government. The Foe Within is worth all the other work on this subject put together. It is splendidly written and very accessible."—Dominic Lieven, London School of Economics, author of Empire: The Russian Empire and Its Rivals"The Foe Within is a remarkable book. Through the prism of a World War I spy case it provides a rich account of the world of fin-de-siècle Russia. It reveals, better than any other study, the subterranean networks behind high politics in the last years of Imperial Russia and the divisions within Russian high society that set the stage for tsarism's collapse. William C. Fuller, Jr., clearly and expertly guides the reader through shady business dealings, the byzantine politics of the court and government, and the sordid relations of high society. This important work is a major contribution to our understanding of Russia at war as well as to understanding the causes of the Russian Revolution. This is all high drama, compellingly and clearly told."—Peter Holquist, Cornell University, author of Making War, Forging Revolution: Russia's Continuum of Crisis, 1914–1921"Set against the backdrop of a corrupt and crumbling empire, this history of the Miasoedov/Sukhomlinov affair is both intriguing in its own right and crucial to understanding the Russian past. The book is beautifully crafted; the research is impeccable; and the story is told with unusual subtlety and erudition."—Norman M. Naimark, Stanford University, author of Fires of Hatred: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe"William C. Fuller, Jr., has written an original, profound, and vivid book about a crucial aspect of Russian politics during World War I. The subject is 'spy-mania,' or how wartime threats to national security, real and imagined, were transformed into modes of political behavior and discourse that in turn shaped the statist ideologies and practices of successive revolutionary regimes. Fuller brings to light remarkable materials ranging from the personal to the institutional and weaves them into a story that symbolizes the destructive power of war."—Daniel Orlovsky, Southern Methodist University, author of The Limits of Reform