Feng Shuai

(№.5,2015)

Abstract: “Imperialism” is a classic perspective in the study of Russia, while the study of Dominic Lieven is the clearest elaboration to the perspective of imperialism in the field of research. He established the unique imperialism theory through comparison of history of Russia and those of other traditional empires, and therefore successfully predicted the destiny of the Soviet Union. He considered the history of Russia from Romanov dynasty as an indivisible entirety and thought that the establishment and collapse of the Soviet Union were both the selection made in face of the plight of modern imperialism and the inevitable result of the selection. As the representative of “the second world” at the margin of Europe, Russia is always in a tangle in the historical recurrence of learning Europe and combating Europe, so it is the best choice for Russia to say goodbye to the history of imperialism. Lieven tries to establish an imperialism theory in universal meaning. Although this objective has not been achieved, it still has the important significance for research and learning.

Keywords: Dominic Lieven; Russia; imperialism; margin