Munsey's Magazine, May 1915

Catalog Note This is a heavily illustrated nonfiction article titled "The Vast Empire of the Czars, Its Eventful History, and Its Incalculable Future" by Frederic Austin Ogg, appearing in Munsey's Magazine. The essay presents a geographical and historical overview of Russia, emphasizing the empire's continental scale—covering one-sixth of the globe's land area and surpassing all political entities except Greater Britain in size. Ogg traces Russian origins from ancient times, discussing the arrival of Slavic peoples from Asia, early Finnish inhabitants, and successive waves of migration and invasion. He describes the traditional Slavic social structure organized through families, communes (mir), and cantons (volost), governed by councils of elders. The article covers the legendary invitation of Scandinavian Varangians (particularly the brothers Rurik, Sineus, and Truvor) around 862 AD to bring order to fractious Slavic territories near Novgorod. The piece is extensively illustrated with photographs of Petrograd landmarks—palaces, theaters, monuments, cathedrals, and museums.