The Empire Must DieThe Empire Must Die portrays the vivid drama of Russia's brief and exotic experiment with civil society before it was swept away by the despotism of the Communist Revolution. The window between two equally stifling autocraciesthe imperial family and the communistswas open only briefly, from the last couple of years of the 19th century until the end of World War I, by which time the revolution was in full fury. From the last years of Tolstoy until the