The book of the famous Soviet historian V.I. Buganov tells about the leader of the largest peasant war in the history of feudal Russia in 1773-1775. Against the background of the biography of E.I. Pugachev, a wide picture of the life of the peoples of our country in the second half of the 18th century is given. The central place is occupied by a description of the struggle of peasants, Cossacks, working people against the oppression of the landowners and the feudal state. The ideology of the rebels, their attempts to create their own authorities based on the traditions of national self-government are shown. The book is intended for middle and high school students, all interested in the past of our country.