Prosperity and Precarity in Imperial Russia's Long Nineteenth Century

Abstract This article looks at four families living in and around the small town of Gatchina, not far from St Petersburg, Russia, long nineteenth century. Their family histories are recreated archival files based tsarist Russia's system social estates ( soslovie ), supplemented by city directories, newspapers, many other sources. Taken together, expand our understanding middle classes two ways. First, they highlight role that women played as economic actors agents their own destiny. Second, demonstrate mobility did play maintaining across In addition, some ways which Russian empire's experience century differed a standard Eurocentric narrative, particular way ‘archaic’ ‘modern’ worlds existed simultaneously.