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The Alcoholic Empire

            In her book, "The Alcoholic Empire: Vodka and Politics in Late Imperial Russia" Patricia Herlihy offers an in-depth and comprehensive view into the debilitating effects of Russia's massive problem with alcoholism. The consequences of alcohol being such an integral part of Russian life are described in detail. Herlihy's main focus is on the struggle that the Russians faced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the eventual rise and fall of the prohibition act. The source of this struggle was one key impasse: Russian society suffered greatly from alcohol, but the Russian economy depended on it. This book examines the battle between these two forces as well as the reasons that alcohol will never lose.
             In her examination of the history of alcohol in the Russian empire, Herlihy gives special attention to the period of the "Vodka Monopoly." During this period, the state was the only supplier of vodka. This created a major conflict of interest. Vodka consumption rose after the vodka monopoly was implemented. This makes sense since the state stood to gain more funds from more vodka. This is where the hypocrisy of the empire begins: a bureaucratic organization called the Guardianship of Public Sobriety was created to warn people against the evils and dangers of alcohol. Thus, the country's lone provider of alcohol was the leader in opposing its consumption. Despite the irony, many in the country saw the formation of the Guardianship as an example and formed their own temperance societies. Herlihy spends the majority of her book discussing the efforts of these societies to combat alcohol in the various institutions of Russia. This issue of alcohol is cited as a cause for numerous social ills by many of the figures in Herlihy's book. Poverty, crime, illiteracy, and general inferiority are all attached to the Russian's addiction to alcohol. The military was scrutinized very closely for its alcoholic reputation.


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