Vasilii Maklakov

A question which occupies many people in the West, and not only historians,

is the following: why did liberalism fail in Russia? Had there been no possibility

for a gradual development towards a constitutional monarchy which

many Western countries had shown, though perhaps over a prolonged period

of time?

The author has chosen the life of a well-known lawyer, Vasilii Maklakov, to

show how one person has tried to realize and put into practice the road towards

such a gradual development. Vasilii Alekseevich Maklakov was one of the foremost

lawyers and politicians of pre-revolutionary Russia. A convinced liberal

who gave all his forces to set in motion a democratic development from 1904

onwards. He ended his career as ambassador of the Provisional Government in

Paris where he played a significant role as unofficial leader and spokesman of

the Russian emigration.

Anthony Kröner has a degree in chemistry from Leyden University and a PhD

in Russian history from Amsterdam University.

His previous books are: “ The debate between Miliukov and Maklakov on the

fate of Russian liberalism” and the widely acclaimed biography of the last commander

of the White armies in Russia “ The White Knight of the Black Sea

The life of General Peter Wrangel”.