Russia Gathers Her Jews - (Niu Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies) by John Doyle Klier (Paperback)

About the Book

This classic study, by the late John Doyle Klier, is considered a seminal text in modern Jewish history by one of the foremost scholars in the field. In this, his first book, Klier offers an important analysis of Russia's early acquisition of, attitudes toward, and administration of its Jewish population. He argues that the Russian response to the Jewish Question was based less on a tradition or religious antipathy than on the failure to develop a consistent, well-articulated policy in the face of a new and unusual problem. This failure led to ineffective social legislation and became the legacy of Russia's first encounter with the Jews. This essential book will be of enduring interest to scholars of modern Russian and Jewish history.

Book Synopsis

Klier's analysis of the motivations behind government policies and attitudes is well documented and convincing.... [An] important and well-researched monograph.― The Journal of Modern History

This classic study by the late John Doyle Klier is considered a seminal text in modern Jewish history by one of the foremost scholars in the field. In this, his first book, Klier offers an important analysis of Russia's early acquisition of, attitudes toward, and administration of its Jewish population. He argues that the Russian response to the Jewish Question was based less on a tradition or religious antipathy than on the failure to develop a consistent, well-articulated policy in the face of a new and unusual problem. This failure led to ineffective social legislation and became the legacy of Russia's first encounter with the Jews.

This essential book will be of enduring interest to scholars of modern Russian and Jewish history.

Review Quotes

[Klier] did more than anyone to improve understanding of the tormented relations among Jews and Russians from the late eighteenth century to the present day.

Klier's analysis of the motivations behind government policies and attitudes is well documented and convincing.... [An] important and well-researched monograph.

Professor John Klier was a pioneering historian of Russian Jewry and a pivotal figure in academic Jewish studies and East European history in the UK and beyond.

About the Author

John Doyle Klier (1944-2007) was a notable scholar of European Jewish history. He was the author of Imperial Russia's Jewish Question, 1855-81 and coeditor of Pogroms, among other works.