Временщик (А. А. Аракчеев)

The book is a documentary narrative about the life and government activities of a man whose name is associated with an entire era in the history of Russia - Count A. A. Arakcheev. Based on documents, most of which are extracted from archives, an image of a major dignitary is given, who played the most important roles in the mechanism of autocratic power at the end of the 18th - first quarter of the 19th centuries, the secret springs of his rise, the true meaning of the phenomenon called “Arakcheevism” are revealed. Arakcheev’s colorful personality is depicted against the backdrop of the events of that time, in his relationships with Emperors Paul I, Alexander I, Nicholas I, prominent dignitaries: Speransky, Rastopchin and others.

The author, a professor at the Faculty of Law at Moscow University, intends his book for a wide range of readers.