If there is one thing that Russia scholars can agree on, it is the poor quality of leadership that has plagued the country since its inception. Though some could have become the posthumous victims of inflated rumors or political propaganda, others may have been even crueler than we thought. People like Anna Ivanovna (Russia's ice queen) and Lavrentiy Beria (Stalin's secret police chief) continue to strike fear in the hearts of modern readers. A popular joke among American students majoring in Slavic Studies is that you can pretty much sum up the entirety of Russian history by saying things have gone from "bad to worse." It is a gross oversimplification, ignoring important periods of peace and prosperity during which Russian art, culture, and commerce could flourish. At the same time, there
