The hope for reform and the tensions of revolution serve as the political backdrop against which much of Turgenev's work was created. From the 1820s and into the 1880s, Russia's government and its people were embroiled in the tenuous process of distinguishing an identity on the world stage. Nicholas I's reign, which spanned from 1825 to 1855, was characterized primarily by the idea that Russia should be independent from and uninvolved with the European West and its ideas. Nicholas I's highly nationalistic approach to government was coupled with his belief in having his government as centralized as possible. In his attempt to consolidate his power, Nicholas I expanded the role of the secret service and increased censorship.

During Nicholas I's rule, society was segmented by two growing forms of thought. While this segmentation was encouraged in academic circles where like-minded people met in discussion groups, mainstream thought was...