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After the death of Tsar Alexander 1, a group of liberal army officers staged a rebellion in St. Petersburg. The rebellion was quickly crushed; however, it caused Tsar Nicholas 1 to begin a period of severe repression and censorship known as the "Iron Reign." -
Mother died of tuberculosis in 1837, and his father died under mysterious circumstances two years later. The most widely believed theory was that he was murdered by his own serfs, but nothing had been proven. The effects of his father's death show up in his further exploration of the complexities of father-son relationships -
Dostoevsky's first book established his unique style of profound psychological and philosophical themes. -
Revolutionary movements sweeping across Europe challenged monarchical rule and pushed for liberal and nationalist reforms. Laid the groundwork for future changes and helped shape modern Europe. -
Was a part of the Petrashevsky Circle, which was arrested by the tsarist regime for subversion. Dostoevsky was sentenced to death by a firing squad, and at the last second, the sentence was changed to labor in Siberia. The execution was psychological torment designed to break their spirits. Facing his own death deepened his understanding of many human emotions. -
Started in 1849, lasted four years after the mock execution. Lived in brutal conditions surrounded by hardened criminals. Embraced a Christian faith and renounced his earlier radical political views. The suffering he endured became the basis for some of his future novels. -
The Russian Empire was against an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. Struggle for influence in the Middle East and a key moment in the decline of the Ottoman Empire. -
After Dostoevsky's release from Siberian exile, he became a contributor and editor on his brother's literary magazine. This allowed him to travel outside of Russia for the first time and see Western Europe. He was appalled by the materialism, moral decay, and cold rationalism of Western society. This trip solidified his critique of Western materialism and liberalism, but it was also where his gambling addiction started. -
Tsar Alexander II issued the emancipation decree after Russia's defeat in the Crimean War. Many of the freed serfs were left with little land and burdened by debt, which contributed to future social unrest. -
A two-part memoir novella. Considered one of the first works of existentialist literature. Provided a blueprint for the alienated anti-hero, which would become a character type central to 20th-century literature. -
The U.S. was divided into the Union and the Confederacy, which fought a war over the issue of slavery and states' rights. The Union victory led to the abolition of slavery and the reunification of the country. -
First major masterpiece. Its significance lies in Dostoevsky's analysis of guilt. -
Dostoevsky developed a severe gambling addiction, and to pay off debts, he wrote his next book frantically. He hired Anna Snitkina, a stenographer, to help him write "The Gambler." While working on the novel, the two fell in love, and a year later, they married, and she became an anchor for him while working on his later novels. -
The goal of this book was to "depict a positively beautiful man," and throughout the book, Dostoevsky explores the effect of goodness in a fallen world, in this case, St. Petersburg, where the novel is set. -
Allegory of the effects of political and moral nihilism. Direct response to the radicalism of Russia in the 1860s. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of abandoning traditional morals. -
Dostoevsky's final novel. Consdiered one of the greatest novels ever written, it tackles profound questions of human existence in a synthesis of all his major themes. -
Known for his reforms, Alexander was a target of numerous assassination attempts. His death brought an end to the era of major reforms and ushered in a period of harsh repression under his son, Alexander III.