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The most spectacular public trials in post-reform Russia were for non-violent crimes like fraud and embezzlement, which are typically committed by wealthy and privileged persons. Focusing on the case of Fedor Melnitskii, the treasurer of the Imperial Orphanage in Moscow, who was accused of stealing a suitcase with 17 pounds of cash, this paper examines the debates about personal character, political views, and family loyalties during the two trials of Melnitskii and his relatives, as well as the underlying inquiries into the qualities of Russia's ruling classes, their loyalty and their competence to rule.
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