As the central event of modern times, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 remains a major focus of historical investigation and controversy. Unavoidably, the conception of the historical problems and the evidence presented are shaped by the historian's view on both the desirability and the inevitability of the Bolshevik Revolution. The years 1890-1917 are particularly important as the crucible in which revolutionary forces developed. In the nineties, Finance Minister Sergei Witte laid the groundwork for a modern economy. While he achieved many of his economic goals, the stresses and strains of forced draft industrialization contributed to the revival of the revolutionary movement; political instability was their immediate effect. By the turn of the century the peasants were in open revolt, an alienated and militant urban proletariat was emerging, and a cohesive liberal opposition was beginning to develop. All these groups demanded fundamental reforms including full political rights for all citizens. By 1905 they had gathered sufficient strength to force the government to issue a constitution and a legislature called the Duma. Neither side, however, was satisfied. The Imperial government tried to take back what it had granted under duress and the opposition parties attempted to discredit the system as "sham constitutionalism. " Only a small center was willing to work with the government and the government was not always willing to work with them.

The second of live volumes planned to give a systematic account of Japanese literature from its beginnings to the death of the modern novelist Mishima, this book establishes the character of the literature of the early Middle Ages, from the ninth to the mid-twelfth century. Originally published in 1986. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.