Imperial Visions: Nationalist Imagination and Geographical Expansion in the Russian Far East, 1840–1865 (Cambridge Studies in Historical Geography, Series Number 29)

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the Russian empire made a dramatic advance on the Pacific by annexing the vast regions of the Amur and Ussuri rivers. Although this remote realm was a virtual terra incognita for the Russian educated public, the acquisition of an 'Asian Mississippi' attracted great attention nonetheless, even stirring the dreams of Russia's most outstanding visionaries. Within a decade of its acquisition, however, the dreams were gone and the Amur region largely abandoned and forgotten. In an innovative examination of Russia's perceptions of the new territories in the Far East, Mark Bassin sets the Amur enigma squarely in the context of the Zeitgeist in Russia at the time. Imperial Visions demonstrates the fundamental importance of geographical imagination in the mentalité of imperial Russia. This 1999 work offers a truly novel perspective on the complex and ambivalent ideological relationship between Russian nationalism, geographical identity and imperial expansion. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Foreword......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 15 Introduction......Page 19 PART I......Page 35 “A region beautiful and bountiful”......Page 37 “This river can ... be useful for Kamchatka and [Russian] America”......Page 42 “Our . . . friendly relations with China”......Page 49 “The East is not the West”......Page 55 “Who is closer to Asia than us?”......Page 63 “What does this boundless space portend?”......Page 75 “Asia, Europe: influence on the entire world!”......Page 84 “My ardent love for Russia . . . will serve as my excuse”......Page 87 “An irrepressible desire to visit this region”......Page 96 “A blessed location will not remain empty!”......Page 102 “Something like central Africa”......Page 108 “Science ...is samopoznanie”......Page 112 “A useless river”......Page 120 “This is one courageous, enterprising Yankee!”......Page 124 “To rule the entire Asiatic coast”......Page 130 “You will not hold back Russia’s universal destiny”......Page 137 “The Amur is going to drive you insane”......Page 145 PART II......Page 155 Introduction......Page 157 “The merchant princes of the earth”......Page 161 “More a cruel step-mother than a mother”......Page 170 “A blessed Russian Kentucky”......Page 177 “For the good of all Slavdom”......Page 192 “Who is transforming the soil and the climate?”......Page 200 “A diploma with the title of a truly European nation”......Page 216 “What cannot be held had better be ceded”......Page 224 “The principal and final goal . . . had to be the Ussuri”......Page 229 “Nothing short of the Wall of China”......Page 239 “A malignant ulcer”......Page 251 “This unappealing desert inspires unbearable grief ”......Page 255 “Everywhere you find filth, hunger, and poverty”......Page 261 “Such lack of cultivation, such insolence!”......Page 273 “In Asia we too are Europeans”......Page 278 “So here’s where Russia begins!”......Page 285 Conclusion......Page 292 Bibliography......Page 301 Index......Page 340 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Dedication 9 Contents 11 Foreword 13 Acknowledgments 15 Introduction 19 PART I 35 1 Early visions and divinations 37 “A region beautiful and bountiful” 37 “This river can ... be useful for Kamchatka and [Russian] America” 42 “Our . . . friendly relations with China” 49 2 National identity and world mission 55 “The East is not the West” 55 “Who is closer to Asia than us?” 63 “What does this boundless space portend?” 75 “Asia, Europe: influence on the entire world!” 84 3 The rediscovery of the Amur 87 “My ardent love for Russia . . . will serve as my excuse” 87 “An irrepressible desire to visit this region” 96 “A blessed location will not remain empty!” 102 “Something like central Africa” 108 “Science ...is samopoznanie” 112 4 The push to the Pacific 120 “A useless river” 120 “This is one courageous, enterprising Yankee!” 124 “To rule the entire Asiatic coast” 130 “You will not hold back Russia’s universal destiny” 137 “The Amur is going to drive you insane” 145 PART II 155 Introduction 157 5 Dreams of a Siberian Mississippi 161 “The merchant princes of the earth” 161 “More a cruel step-mother than a mother” 170 “A blessed Russian Kentucky” 177 6 Civilizing a savage realm 192 “For the good of all Slavdom” 192 “Who is transforming the soil and the climate?” 200 “A diploma with the title of a truly European nation” 216 7 Poised on the Manchurian frontier 224 “What cannot be held had better be ceded” 224 “The principal and final goal . . . had to be the Ussuri” 229 “Nothing short of the Wall of China” 239 8 The Amur and its discontents 251 “A malignant ulcer” 251 “This unappealing desert inspires unbearable grief ” 255 “Everywhere you find filth, hunger, and poverty” 261 “Such lack of cultivation, such insolence!” 273 “In Asia we too are Europeans” 278 “So here’s where Russia begins!” 285 Conclusion 292 Bibliography 301 Index 340 "In the middle of the nineteenth century, the Russian empire made a dramatic advance on the Pacific by annexing the vast regions of the Amur and Ussuri rivers. Within a decade of its acquisition, however, the dreams were gone and the Amur region was largely abandoned and forgotten. In an innovative examination of Russia's perceptions of the new territories in the Far East, Mark Bassin sets the Amur enigma squarely in the context of the Zeitgeist in Russia at the time. His argument is that the grand vision of Russia on the shores of the Pacific was intimately related to a number of major preoccupations of the day, including social reform, the search for samopoznanie or national self-understanding, Russia's relationship to the West, and the belief in a mission of universal salvation."--Jacket.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, the Amur region had been a virtual terra incognita for the Russian public. However, the region's annexation succeeded in stirring the dreams of the country's most outstanding social and political visionaries, who declared it "civilization's most important step forward." A decade later, this enthrallment and optimism had evaporated. Mark Bassin examines Russia's perceptions of the new territories, placing the Amur enigma in the context of Russian Zeitgeist mid-century, and offers a new perspective on the relationship among Russian nationalism, geographical identity and imperial expansion.

Written from the perspective of both historical geography and intellectual history, Imperial Visions demonstrates the fundamental importance of geographical imagination in the mentalite of imperial Russia. This 1999 work offers a truly novel perspective on the complex and ambivalent ideological relationship between Russian nationalism, geographical identity, and imperial expansion. Written from the perspective of both historical geography and intellectual history, Imperial Visions demonstrates the fundamental importance of geographical imagination in the mentalit of imperial Russia. The work offers a truly novel perspective on the complex and ambivalent ideological relationship between Russian nationalism, geographical identity, and imperial expansion Mark Bassin. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [283]-321) And Index.