Revolutions do not happen unexpectedly, empires do not perish for no reason. The main lesson that we can learn from the revolution of 1917 is the understanding of why the emperor and his entourage, in a situation that required cardinal internal reforms, not only did not decide on these reforms, but, on the contrary, tried with all their might to reverse the development of the country, strengthening reliance on 'traditional values', Orthodoxy and the army. Chapter by chapter, through the living stories of people, Mikhail Zygar shows how the empire is steadily moving towards disaster and why nothing can save it. The protagonist of this book is Russian civil society. It originates in the first years of the 20th century, develops before the eyes of the reader, and disappears before his eyes shortly after 1917. By recognizing the chronicle of events of a hundred years ago, the reader can understand what is happening today and try to look into the future.