Introduction

When this book was originally published in 1931, it represented the first extended account of the classical Eurasian movement (in the book 'Europasian'), which accepted the Russian Revolution as a necessary break with Imperial (Westernized) Russia and viewed the rule of Communism as a phase to be somehow endured.

Background of the Eurasian Movement

The idea behind the Eurasian movement was not new: It maintained that Russia was neither Western European nor Asiatic in geographical position, economic structure or cultural affinity, but bears characteristics of both.

Significance of the Book

This book could be regarded as a propagandist exposition of one of the anti-Bolshevik emigrant groups, but it was nonetheless one of the first books in the English language to give a detailed presentation of the ideas of this movement.

Contemporary Relevance

Eurasianism has attracted increasing attention in Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union in recent years and this book is an important contribution to Eurasianism and its legacy.