The alcoholic empire

"Russians are famed for their debilitating love of vodka. During the late imperial period, alcohol was blamed for health problems, workplace accidents and absenteeism, rioting and pogroms, and the decline of the army. Many outsiders have cited it as the primary cause of Russia's "backwardness" and a barrier to its modernization. Alcoholism continues to plague modern Russia, causing major social, economic, and health problems." "In The Alcoholic Empire, Patricia Herlihy illuminates the complex relationship between vodka and politics in Russia, focusing on the history and role of temperance organizations in the late imperial period. She traces the beginning of temperance activities to 1894, when Nicholas II created a monopoly on the sale and production of alcohol. Temperance advocates - a diverse group that ranged from Tolstoy to illiterate peasants and included laity, clergy, and workers, men and women, the medical professions, the Duma, and the military - disagreed about the causes and remedies for alcoholism, but they agreed that it was a social and moral problem for which the government should be held accountable."--Jacket.