Imperial Legacies and Democratic Prospects: Max Weber's "The Russian Revolutions" in Historical Perspective

THIS REVIEW ESSAY ANALYZES THE HISTORICAL ACCURACY OF MAX WEBER'S INSIGHTS AND PREDICTIONS CONCERNING RUSSIA'S POLITICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PLACE "THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONS" IN THE CONTEXT OF SOME OF THE CURRENT SCHOLARSHIP AND DEBATES OF LATE IMPERIAL RUSSIA AND, TO A MUCH LESSER EXTENT, THE POST-SOVIET PERIOD. THE ESSAY ALSO COMMENTS ON ASSESSMENTS OF WEBER'S ESSAYS ON RUSSIA BY OTHER RUSSIAN HISTORIANS, MOST NOTABLY RICHARD PIPES, WHOSE PATHBREAKING ESSAY ON WEBER AND RUSSIA HAS INFORMED SUBSEQUENT WESTERN SCHOLARHIP ON RUSSIAN BUREAUCRACY AND LIBERALISM.