Yevgeny Tarle: Sketches Towards a Portrait in the Context of the Era

This article examines the principal milestones in the life and intellectual development of Yevgeny Viktorovich Tarle, arguably the most renowned and widely read Russian historian of the twentieth century. It traces the evolution of his scholarly interests – from the economic history of France and Western Europe to the history of warfare, diplomacy, and international relations – and explores the ideological transformations that shaped his worldview, shifting from the moderate liberal oppositionism of the pre-revolutionary period to the Soviet great-power patriotism of the 1940s. The analysis centres upon the impact of key Soviet-era events on Tarle’s personal and academic trajectory: the Bolshevik Revolution, the political repressions of the early 1930s (during which he became a target in the so-called Academic Case), and his scholarly and public contributions during the Great Patriotic War and its immediate aftermath. Tarle’s rejection of the anti-national historiographical doctrines associated with the school of Mikhail Pokrovsky – dominant in Soviet historical thought during the 1920s – nearly led to his professional ruin. However, the ideological turn prompted by the impending war with Nazi Germany enabled his rehabilitation and the production of some of his most influential works, including Napoleon, Talleyrand, Napoleon’s Invasion of Russia, 1812, and The Crimean War. The final section reflects on Tarle’s personality, intellectual breadth, and moral integrity. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth, this reassessment underscores the enduring significance of his legacy in Russian historiography.

Yevgeny Tarle, biography, academic heritage, history of international relations, history of Russia, patriotism, Mikhail Pokrovsky