Der Fluch des Imperiums
Key Data
- Author: Martin Schulze Wessel
- Published: 2023
- Purchase link: Link
- Finished reading on: 4.1.2026
Content
The book traces the intertwined histories of Russia, Poland and Ukraine from the 17th century to 2022, while highlighting how Russia developed cultural ideas related to its imperialism.
Why Did I Read It?
I already had some thoughts about the topic of the book from reading other material, and got it recommended. It presented itself as a good way to linearize and consolidate my grasp of the subject.
Thoughts After Finishing
Given that I had already read other material covering similar subjects, a lot of the book was treading familiar ground. The book is nicely structured and lays out its main argument in a clear, concrete manner, and reinforced a lot of my thoughts, while introducing new approaches and events into my pre-established framework. There is also a clear acknowledgement of the aspects that complicate the overarching historical theme that is being highlighted.
Main Takeaways
- Russian identity is closely linked to the rejection of “the West.” This initially stems from historical experiences but eventually became a self-reinforcing belief that has shaped Russian foreign policy.
- An early driver of this dynamic was the European coalition formed to contain Russia during the Great Northern War.
- Russian defeats contributed to the formation of a sense of Russian exceptionalism, which frames the country as having a kind of holy mission it must fulfill.
- Under this conception, Russia cannot exist independently of its empire, because its mission is to spread its civilization.
- Russian foreign policy toward Poland and Ukraine clearly illustrates the two categories of empire through which Russia operates:
- Poland is a clear example of the “outer empire,” acquired to protect the imperial heartland.
- Ukraine is a prime example of the “inner empire,” which Russia seeks to incorporate into the heartland through assimilation.
- Polish and Ukrainian histories are similar but asynchronous, as Poland was less existential for Russia to control.
- Russia cannot maintain its sense of empire without controlling Ukraine. Ukraine is seen as part of Russian civilization and as fundamentally Russian. This is why Russia reacts so violently to Ukraine’s attempts to integrate into Western institutions: from the Russian perspective, the West is stealing part of their civilization. Combined with Russia's identity being tied to its sense of empire, a Western-aligned Ukraine is a nightmare scenario for Russian leadership.
- Ukraine managed to prevail as a democracy (in contrast to Russia) due to three factors:
- A political culture of protest inherited from the final years of the Soviet Union and reinforced by earlier historical experience
- In Ukraine, mass mobilization consistently countered attempts at authoritarian overreach. While protests also occurred in Russia, they lacked the same endurance and institutional reach.
- Regional diversity that stabilized the political landscape
- Political actors did not fear total wipeout after electoral defeat and could relinquish power while retaining influence through regional strongholds.
- A national identity emboldened by the collapse of the Soviet Union
- While many foundational questions about Ukraine’s future remained unresolved, the basic trajectory toward becoming a democratic nation-state was widely accepted and positively reinforced national identity. In Russia, by contrast, a weakened national identity led many to romanticize the lost empire, along with its associated authoritarian institutions.
- A political culture of protest inherited from the final years of the Soviet Union and reinforced by earlier historical experience
Criticisms
I have no strong criticisms of the book. For someone with a baseline knowledge of the history, it can get a little long-winded, but it is understandable given that it is for a broader audience.