The Road to the Gallows: Death Sentences from the Middle Ages to the Present Day

Renowned historian and writer Rafael Guseinov presents readers with a very unusual book. Working in many Russian and foreign archives, he has gathered unique materials about the crimes for which the state has deprived its citizens of life over the centuries. Discussions about the legality and humanity of the death penalty itself likely have as many years behind them as law itself exists. For many countries even today, the strangulation of a person in a noose, public decapitation, or death in the electric chair in front of TV cameras is an everyday and mundane affair. The author, relying on the latest research, including that of major Western historians, debunks the myths about the cruelty of Russian monarchs, shows how inhumane European regimes have always been, and recounts how the practice of capital punishment occurs today. The author managed to meet and conduct sensational interviews with those who carry out death sentences.
However, this book is not about death. It is about how beautiful human life is, about the lessons of history, about the justice and humanity of laws, and about how we must take care of each other and cherish every minute of our time on earth. The epigraph from Confucius, chosen as a dedication for this work, is not accidental: "Without knowing what life is, can one know death?".