Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921
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- Author：Antony Beevor
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Summary
Between 1917 and 1921 a devastating struggle took place in Russia following the collapse of the Tsarist empire。 Many regard this savage civil war as the most influential event of the modern era。 An incompatible White alliance of moderate socialists and reactionary monarchists stood little chance against Trotsky's Red Army and Lenin's single-minded Communist dictatorship。 Terror begat terror， which in turn led to even greater cruelty with man's inhumanity to man， woman and child。 The struggle became a world war by proxy as Churchill deployed weaponry and troops from the British empire， while armed forces from the United States， France， Italy， Japan， Poland and Czechoslovakia played rival parts。
Using the most up to date scholarship and archival research， Antony Beevor， author of the acclaimed international bestseller Stalingrad， assembles the complete picture in a gripping narrative that conveys the conflict through the eyes of everyone from the worker on the streets of Petrograd to the cavalry officer on the battlefield and the woman doctor in an improvised hospital。
Using the most up to date scholarship and archival research， Antony Beevor， author of the acclaimed international bestseller Stalingrad， assembles the complete picture in a gripping narrative that conveys the conflict through the eyes of everyone from the worker on the streets of Petrograd to the cavalry officer on the battlefield and the woman doctor in an improvised hospital。
Reviews
Ed Greening
，
Utterly defeated after around 350 pages。 The cynic in me would suggest that this work was rushed out to take advantage of the news cycle - another 3-4 months of work would have borne fruit for sure。 In a 500 page book， there are forty chapters。 The editing as a result is choppy， and does not aid the reader in any way to navigate a complex conflict spread over several arenas。 The usual thorough research is present， but the focus is a little confusing。 Lenin， Trotsky and Stalin are minor character Utterly defeated after around 350 pages。 The cynic in me would suggest that this work was rushed out to take advantage of the news cycle - another 3-4 months of work would have borne fruit for sure。 In a 500 page book， there are forty chapters。 The editing as a result is choppy， and does not aid the reader in any way to navigate a complex conflict spread over several arenas。 The usual thorough research is present， but the focus is a little confusing。 Lenin， Trotsky and Stalin are minor characters in their victory。 As other reviews mention， the author's distaste for the Bolsheviks glistens from almost every page， even though the Whites were equally culpable of atrocities which are detailed too。 Highly disappointing given I had previously enjoyed both WW2 and Stalingrad。 。。。more
Rebecca Sutton
，
3。5 stars for me。 Russia: Revolution and Civil War is a really detailed book chronically the years of the two revolutions to the end of the civil war between the Bolsheviks and the Whites。 I love the deep dive into this era which I didn't know that much about， especially the civil war period。 However， while I love the detailed explanation of these events， it can seem a bit overwhelming 3。5 stars for me。 Russia: Revolution and Civil War is a really detailed book chronically the years of the two revolutions to the end of the civil war between the Bolsheviks and the Whites。 I love the deep dive into this era which I didn't know that much about， especially the civil war period。 However， while I love the detailed explanation of these events， it can seem a bit overwhelming 。。。more
Louise
，
I read this tome with the hope of learning more about the people who I think of as the heavy weights of Russia history ie， Lenin， Trotsky and Stalin。Unfortunately the three men feature in the story of the Revolution and the Civil War far less than I was expecting。 They obviously were at the centre of recounts of decision making but the real 'stars' of Beevor's book are the fiercely fought battles， the atrocities committed by absolutely everyone taking part in the Civil War， the generals with the I read this tome with the hope of learning more about the people who I think of as the heavy weights of Russia history ie， Lenin， Trotsky and Stalin。Unfortunately the three men feature in the story of the Revolution and the Civil War far less than I was expecting。 They obviously were at the centre of recounts of decision making but the real 'stars' of Beevor's book are the fiercely fought battles， the atrocities committed by absolutely everyone taking part in the Civil War， the generals with their idiosyncrasies and perversions and the absolute crushing of the poor and the lowly。 Beevor believes that without the Russian Civil War， exhaustively and expertly descibed by him in this book， that Hilter and the devastation his reign engendered would never have eventuated。 I am not sure if other historians agree with Beevor but I can believe that the way the Civil War was fought could definitely have been a blueprint for future conflagration。Antony Beevor is a recognised author of many books about significant wars throughout the 20th century and he certainly know his stuff！ 。。。more
Antonio Nunez
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I， like many others， don’t pass up the opportunity to read a book by Antony Beevor。 His history of the Russian Revolutions of 1917 and their aftermath did not disappoint me。 In my view， this period is a fitting subject for history in the grand， Thucydidean， manner。 Here we see the collapse of a great and ancient empire and its rebirth amid rivers of blood。 The personalities of the February Revolution， whether angelic like prince Lvov， or Machiavellian but inept （like Kerensky） give way to ruthle I， like many others， don’t pass up the opportunity to read a book by Antony Beevor。 His history of the Russian Revolutions of 1917 and their aftermath did not disappoint me。 In my view， this period is a fitting subject for history in the grand， Thucydidean， manner。 Here we see the collapse of a great and ancient empire and its rebirth amid rivers of blood。 The personalities of the February Revolution， whether angelic like prince Lvov， or Machiavellian but inept （like Kerensky） give way to ruthless fanatics like the Bolsheviks and crazed madmen like many of the White leaders。 To read that prince Lvov wanted to bring back the Bolshevik leader Lenin from his exile in Switzerland made this reader react as if someone had proposed in the middle of a family party， to let in the nice man with wild hair and wild eyes and a meat cleaver in his hands。 Crazy。 When Lenin does arrive to the Finland station， sent over German and German- occupied territory in a sealed train （along with his wife Krupskaya and his lover Inessa Armand）， it seems rather like dropping a bacteriological weapon onto an unsuspecting enemy。 The German leadership surely had read Plato’s Republic， where it says that any state is in reality two nations， that of the ruling and the ruled， of the privileged and the dispossessed， so that class war is always an option to defeat an enemy。 Reading （again， for this is a favorite subject） of how Lenin outmaneuvered both the internal opposition （headed by Kamenev and Zinoviev， supported at times by Bukharin， Trotsky and even Stalin himself） and the democratic leadership and how he avoided repeatedly being captured or killed， is thrilling， and not in a nice way。 Like thinking about Hitler getting shot in the Munich attempted Putsch of 1923。 How everything would have different， surely better， had that been the case。 After a real leftist coup attempt and a rumored rightist conspiracy （which Beevor says never happened）， Kerensky turned to the left， which allowed the Bolsheviks to take power。 The cynicism and nastiness and utter heartlessness of the Bolsheviks never fail to impress me。 Their predecessors in the French Revolution never got even close。 That is why they were eliminated after a short terror and normalcy was reestablished。 Not the Bolsheviks: they welded together elements that only the Nazis would be able to join， much less successfully: the belief in high ideals and demented notions as a strategy， with utterly bloody minded tactics。 The violence， as is well known， did not start with the Civil War， but began at the same time as the October Revolution with the brutality of the sailors of the Russian Baltic Fleet based in Kronstad。 These sadistic bullies were the armed hand of the Bolsheviks until they were able to create their own secret police and a Red Army， made up initially of natives from Letonia， Poland and other states of the Russian periphery。 When the sailors finally noticed how the Soviet state worked and tried to rebel against it in 1921， they found all the force they had used against others， directed against them。 Seems fair， even if the requests they made in 1921 were reasonable。 One of the consequences of the October Revolution and the barbarism of the Bolsheviks is that the state collapsed in much of Europe， mainly in the South （the Don region） and the West （Siberia）。 The cossacks， well organized， self reliant and autonomous， took power in that time called the Atamanashchina。 These atamans were brutal， some of them real monsters。 They were bandits， and did not work well with others。 Disaffected Czarist officers （which was understandable， since the Bolsheviks and other leftists wanted to eliminate ranks in the armed forces） began organizing with the support of former WWI allies （mainly Britain and France）。 The big problem was that they did not have a leader like generals Pilsudski or Mannerheim， who might have lead the White armies to victory。 Instead it had many leaders， some very competent， but each one unwilling to relinquish authority。 Thus， they had no chance against the emerging Red Army， well organized and motivated by Trotsky and with many able leaders， like Tukachevsky， Budionny， Frunze and others。 Many of the White generals where unreconstructed reactionaries， who wanted to reunite all the former Russian empire， by which they forfeited the support of Poland， the Baltics and Ukraine。 They were against land reform， which alienated the large peasant majority that supported mainly the Socialist Revolutionaries （SRs） and at the beginning wanted to continue the war with Germany。 This did not endear them to soldiers exhausted from nearly 4 years of attrition war。 The Whites had a monarchist army but a Socialist Revolutionary political structure。 It is well known that there are animals with many legs but none with two heads。 Beevor， who wrote an excellent book on the Spanish Civil， comments that what happened to the Reds in Spain in 1936-1939 happened earlier to the Whites in Russia in 1918-1920: irregular forces cannot prevail against an actual army。 He did not mention that Lenin， like Franco would do later， took advantage of the civil war to purge the country of actual enemies of the emerging regime。After the French and British pulled out from Russia and the leaders of the Baltics， Ukraine and Poland kicked them out， the Whites were doomed。 The story of Wrangel’s evacuation of Crimea at the end of 1920 is very moving， a great tragedy skillfully told。 In 1921 began the Green rebellions， which involved peasants desperate by food requisitioning by the Bolsheviks。 Although they were able to harry the government， they could never beat it。 At the end， the Communists won， and engaged in massive executions that pioneered methods the Nazis would employ when they invaded the USSR in 1941。 Although Beevor does not really develop the subject， the Russians， in this period， had to face not only lawlessness， peasant jacqueries and revolts， banditry on a grand scale， civil and class war， but also a devastating famine that killed 5。000。000 people， as well as multiple plagues， starting with the so-called Spanish flu in 1919 and moving on with typhus and others。 At the end of the period， over 12。000。000 people had died as a consequence of the October Revolution and the Civil War。 Millions of Russians were displaced and had to become exiles。 Survivors would not have much to look forward。 The thaw of the New Economic Policy （NEP） at the end of Lenin’s life would quickly be swallowed into Stalinist collectivization and famine， into the purges of Yagoda and especially Yezhov and the Great Terror， right into WWII and after that， the Zdanovschina， ending with the aborted likely Jewish Holocaust that was to start with the so called doctors plot。 All of that rolled barely into a little over 30 years: 1922-153。 Alas， it was not the best of time to come into the world in that particular region。 。。。more
Delcene Jones
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A well written book documenting the brutal machinations that occurred throughout Russia， Poland， Ukraine and the Baltic Regions during the Russian Revolution。It was eye opening and horrifying。Unfortunately it appears that the current war in Ukraine is just history repeating itself。
Margaret
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This can only be read in short bursts。 Atrocity after atrocity， massacre after massacre in the Russian Revolution and Civil War， up to 12 million killed。 Never read anything so horrific。
David
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The book does not follow the author’s preface。 Far from expanding my knowledge about the Russian revolution and subsequent Civil War， Beevor narrows the text down to a dry， stodgy catalogue of names and events， the research must have been extensive， none of which appear linked in any way to the story。 I lasted for 215 pages and gave up， none the wiser on ‘The Reds， The Whites， The Bolsheviks， The Mensheviks or any of their political and ideological strategies and aims， or lack of， nothings discu The book does not follow the author’s preface。 Far from expanding my knowledge about the Russian revolution and subsequent Civil War， Beevor narrows the text down to a dry， stodgy catalogue of names and events， the research must have been extensive， none of which appear linked in any way to the story。 I lasted for 215 pages and gave up， none the wiser on ‘The Reds， The Whites， The Bolsheviks， The Mensheviks or any of their political and ideological strategies and aims， or lack of， nothings discussed。To be fair it’s not an easy subject， other books I’ve read on the topic from Orlando Figes and Richard Pipes are heavy going too but the slog is worth it， this book isn’t。I got the impression that the author has a bias towards the Bolsheviks， he talks up the Whites and Czarists， spending more time on their ‘heroic’ efforts。 Perhaps this is the reason the book doesn’t work for me， there is no enthusiasm for the story。 Trotsky， Lenin and Stalin are only sporadically mentioned in a derogatory way。 Nasty as the Bolsheviks were the Whites and Tsarists were just as bad， both sides committing terrible atrocities。 IMO a book on the Russian Revolution should not be devoid of a study of these three historical figures， this book ignores all of them in this context。I do remember reading Beevor’s celebrated work; Stalingrad， but I no longer have the book which suggests I wasn’t that impressed。 I won’t be looking for any of this author’s future titles as his style is not for me。 。。。more
Lewis Woolston
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Outstanding history of a grim episode， Beevor's writing is brilliant as usual。 I've always been fascinated with the question of could the great disasters of history such as the First World War and the Russian Revolution have been prevented？ After reading this i'm of the opinion that no， it couldn't have been。 The Tsarist regime and it's parasitic， despotic aristocracy were so rotten， corrupt and incompetent that revolution was inevitable。 The other major achievement of this book is to smash the Outstanding history of a grim episode， Beevor's writing is brilliant as usual。 I've always been fascinated with the question of could the great disasters of history such as the First World War and the Russian Revolution have been prevented？ After reading this i'm of the opinion that no， it couldn't have been。 The Tsarist regime and it's parasitic， despotic aristocracy were so rotten， corrupt and incompetent that revolution was inevitable。 The other major achievement of this book is to smash the leftist narrative that Lenin was a good guy who had the people's interests at heart and would have made a socialist utopia if only he hadn't died and Stalin hadn't taken over。 The author shows conclusively that Lenin pursued a policy of mass murder， torture， terror and repression from day one。 The Tsarist regime may have been thuggish， cruel and prone to brutality but it was nothing compared to the cold， clinical use of mass-murder as a policy tool which the Bolshievik regime practiced。 A pretty comprehensive history of this important episode and vital for understanding the horrors that darkened Russia and Eastern Europe for almost a century afterwards。 。。。more
Rik
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Focusing more on the military campaigns and the actual war than the political and cultural situations。 Having read a few of Beevors's WW2 books I should have expected this battle focus！ Details the atrocities committed on both sides in some detail too。 Great book， I would have preferred a hundred of so extra pages filling in the political detail more in depth but it's so well documented elsewhere I suppose it does give this one it's own focus。 Focusing more on the military campaigns and the actual war than the political and cultural situations。 Having read a few of Beevors's WW2 books I should have expected this battle focus！ Details the atrocities committed on both sides in some detail too。 Great book， I would have preferred a hundred of so extra pages filling in the political detail more in depth but it's so well documented elsewhere I suppose it does give this one it's own focus。 。。。more
Pontus Noren
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Thorough and entertaining as always from BeevorAnother excellently researched and detailed book by Beevor covering the brutal and horrific events of the Russian revolution。 The one criticism would be that it focuses to much on the Whites and not enough on Trotsky， Lenin， Stalin’s involvement / thoughts etc throughout the civil war。
Richard
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The FT put me onto this volume。 I have long been curious about the period shortly after the revolution when the capitalist Western countries and the arch-conservative Russians combined to attempt to overthrow the Bolsheviks。The brutality and the unbearable environment combine to make this a horrific story of bloodlust and stubborn refusal to recognize the death of the past in Tsarism。 This does mark the end of WWI and a hoped-for end of peonage。 Beevor uses character as well as description of st The FT put me onto this volume。 I have long been curious about the period shortly after the revolution when the capitalist Western countries and the arch-conservative Russians combined to attempt to overthrow the Bolsheviks。The brutality and the unbearable environment combine to make this a horrific story of bloodlust and stubborn refusal to recognize the death of the past in Tsarism。 This does mark the end of WWI and a hoped-for end of peonage。 Beevor uses character as well as description of strategy， tactics， and logistics to tell his tale。 The seeds of the Stalin-Trotsky falling-out are planted， Lenin’s ruthlessness is revealed， and the inability to adjust to the times suffered by the Tsarists adds to the chaos。Of course， Churchill’s immediate and long-standing animus to communism is a driving force as is Clemenceau’s。 Wilson was tugged along for the ride， but， given his illness/incapacity， was not a central figure。 Ultimately， the Bolsheviks were stronger， battle-hardened， better led。 And they won， letting the Whites scuttle off in whatever direction。Beevor has organized his story well; it is easy to follow and smoothly told， an accomplishment considering the many nodes of activity， the forces involved， and the various motivations at work， e。g。， the Poles， the Cossacks， the Tsarists， and so on。 This offers an early view of the Soviet basis for distrust of the Westas well as of the eventual stranglehold of the populace。 。。。more
Elina
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I had a really hard time finishing this book！ Totally biased and full of the author's anticommunist points。 All the facts were presented only on one side and the great effort to present the Bolsheviks as the "evils" was by far too obvious！ Could the author explain how the Bolsheviks eventually managed to lead this huge country， even though （lol） the majority of the peasants and workers was against them？？？ 600 pages of propaganda and narrow-mindedness！ I had a really hard time finishing this book！ Totally biased and full of the author's anticommunist points。 All the facts were presented only on one side and the great effort to present the Bolsheviks as the "evils" was by far too obvious！ Could the author explain how the Bolsheviks eventually managed to lead this huge country， even though （lol） the majority of the peasants and workers was against them？？？ 600 pages of propaganda and narrow-mindedness！ 。。。more
Hamid
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Competent account of the Russian Revolution（s） and Civil War but， despite its length， is only ever a surface look at the incredibly complex period。 Some snippets of what you expect - or rather， want - from Beevor - which are the sort of stark and gonzo tales of the individuals caught up in the mess and their fates。 But Figes managed that some 25 years ago in A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution， 1891 - 1924 with a greater depth and much more context by way of the build-up to revolution （al Competent account of the Russian Revolution（s） and Civil War but， despite its length， is only ever a surface look at the incredibly complex period。 Some snippets of what you expect - or rather， want - from Beevor - which are the sort of stark and gonzo tales of the individuals caught up in the mess and their fates。 But Figes managed that some 25 years ago in A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution， 1891 - 1924 with a greater depth and much more context by way of the build-up to revolution （albeit the scholarship at probably the same popular level）。 Beevor is clearly no Richard Overy。The surface-depth the book does provide on major players - Lenin， Zinoviev， Kornilov， Denekin et al - is mostly well-rounded， appreciating their different ideological motivations， base human instincts， crimes and heroism without ever painting any specifically as some monstrous caricature。 。。。more
Peter Kavanagh
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Excellent first half but it becomes bogged down in detail as soon as we reach the civil war period。 Now， I like detail but the enormously convoluted Russian civil war is difficult to deal with as narrative。 Personally I think he would have been better off sticking to a few themes。 Apart from that I thought it was excellent。
Moravian1297
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The usually dependable， objective， nuts and bolts facts only machine that is an Antony Beevor book， has here descended into a vitriolic， rabid personal attack on Lenin and the Bolsheviks。It's laden with nothing more than what seems to be biased opinion and historical rumours。 His hatered toward the afore mentioned Lenin and the Bolsheviks spews forth to the point where you can actually feel the spital and foaming drool fly out from the pages and run down your disbelieving face！I really found it The usually dependable， objective， nuts and bolts facts only machine that is an Antony Beevor book， has here descended into a vitriolic， rabid personal attack on Lenin and the Bolsheviks。It's laden with nothing more than what seems to be biased opinion and historical rumours。 His hatered toward the afore mentioned Lenin and the Bolsheviks spews forth to the point where you can actually feel the spital and foaming drool fly out from the pages and run down your disbelieving face！I really found it hard to continue reading， but I persevered to the bitter end and it's left me feeling very disappointed that a once competent， readable and often enjoyable historian has joined the ranks of the right wing， bitter， British nationalistic， gammon faced， pseudo-historians like the awful Max Hastings， the utterly vile David Starsky and the bigoted， fascistic， deluded， BritNat Neil Oliver！Mostly a collection of extremely partisan opinion and anti-communist folk/fairy tales （an example being， an unsupported yarn about a mother who had darned her white soldier son's socks， and after hearing of her son's death in a massacre， supposedly made the pilgrimage to the mass grave site， where all she found was one of HER sons darned socks！ This is told as if it was a bona fide， genuine fact， rather than the "old wives tale" that it most obviously is）， an utter waste of paper and £15 from my pocket！On one footnote， Beevor even tries to claim the Russians lost the battle of Kursk in WWII！ 。。。more
Neil Fulwood
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Exhaustive and exhausting - names， dates， facts， figures and geographical locations come thick and fast - yet， somehow， not particularly illuminating。
Stuart
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Well written and detailed but I just feel like this period of Russian history just isn’t my favourite for whatever reason， I prefer tsarist Russia to Bolshevik Russia and just didn’t hold my attention as much as some of his other works。
Pamela Johnston
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Brilliant。
Albert Van
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I believe this book will become the standard book about this period in history。It is so detailed and thorough that it really amazed me。 My knowledge before reading this book about the Russian revolution and civil war was no more than what I had seen in documentaries about it， yet this is very sketchy and does not go beyond the February and October Revolutions and the remark "the following civil war ended in 1921"。And I had seen the movie "Doctor Zhivago"， so knew a bit about cruelties and chaos I believe this book will become the standard book about this period in history。It is so detailed and thorough that it really amazed me。 My knowledge before reading this book about the Russian revolution and civil war was no more than what I had seen in documentaries about it， yet this is very sketchy and does not go beyond the February and October Revolutions and the remark "the following civil war ended in 1921"。And I had seen the movie "Doctor Zhivago"， so knew a bit about cruelties and chaos of these days。This book filled all the gaps I had in my knowledge。 I can recommend it， although it is not light-hearted reading。The lunacy， the cruelty and the killing。 12 million people died。 Of them 938 were British。The UK was heavily involved， provided a lot of weapons and even fought along， although this was considered to stay unknown。So a bit more than a century later the British are heavily involved again in a war in the same region。Another thing that caught my eye: the British minister of war Winston Churchill， who was lying a lot。Nowadays we have a Prime Minister who loves to be resembled to that man and is quite an habitual liar。 。。。more
Kevin McMahon
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What an enlightening book on this subject and the vast horrors that occurred throughout。 There is masses of detail of people， places and events to take in and perhaps a second reading is required。 This has vastly increased my knowledge from its low starting point of 2nd year at Secondary school when Mr。 Kiddie rushed us through the topic。
Tim
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A mixed read on a topic that I knew little about。 The fragmented nature of the conflict doesn't help create an easy flow， combined with a range of place and people's names that were new and difficult made it a little difficult to follow， I found myself flicking back to remind myself who people were and which side they were on。 A few more maps could also have helped。Saying that it started where lots of histories of the Russian revolution finish off and in some ways is depressing as the opposition A mixed read on a topic that I knew little about。 The fragmented nature of the conflict doesn't help create an easy flow， combined with a range of place and people's names that were new and difficult made it a little difficult to follow， I found myself flicking back to remind myself who people were and which side they were on。 A few more maps could also have helped。Saying that it started where lots of histories of the Russian revolution finish off and in some ways is depressing as the opposition to the Bolsheviks was so fragmented and often incompetent resulting in 70 years of oppression。 。。。more
Adrian Pana
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I was a little put off by the writing in the beginning but after that I enjoyed the book。 It is a very good book， not a definitive one but a must read together with other books on this issue。 Still to find a good critique。
Robert Webber
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After reading this book I was left wondering how many people today are aware that as many as 12 million people died in the Russian Civil War following the overthrow of czarist rule in 1917 and the emergence of the communist state in 1921。 Also， the degree to which this was an ‘international war’ through the various interventions of France， Britain， the USA， Poland， China etc etc。 This was a truly horrifying conflict with fearful civilian casualties and acts of inhumanity which defined the Soviet After reading this book I was left wondering how many people today are aware that as many as 12 million people died in the Russian Civil War following the overthrow of czarist rule in 1917 and the emergence of the communist state in 1921。 Also， the degree to which this was an ‘international war’ through the various interventions of France， Britain， the USA， Poland， China etc etc。 This was a truly horrifying conflict with fearful civilian casualties and acts of inhumanity which defined the Soviet State until the death of Stalin in 1953。 Adolf Hitler is justifiably regarded as a benchmark of human evil but the evidence suggests that Lenin was his equal in every respect。 Lenin was personally a coward who would retreat to Finland at the first sign of any physical threat to himself but along with Stalin， Trotsky etc demonstrated an unparalleled disdain for the life of others。 This is a frightening story of the very depths of depravity of which some human beings are capable。 The vicious and murderous Soviet regime that followed fuelled the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany and thus helped to precipitate the most terrible conflict in human history less than twenty years later。 This detailed account of a most horrifying episode of human history is not for the faint hearted but affords a vital insight into events whose influence resounds to this very day。 Recommended。 。。。more
David Lowther
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Beevor’s attention to detail astounds me。 Even by his monumentally high standards， this is a modern history book that paints the most thorough picture of the Russian revolution and the civil war that followed it。 The author doesn’t take sides but just tells this gruesome tale as it unfolds。 The amount of research he must have carried out is breathtaking。This atrocious human tragedy claimed approximately twelve million lives。 The number of different factions involved in the bloodletting is mind b Beevor’s attention to detail astounds me。 Even by his monumentally high standards， this is a modern history book that paints the most thorough picture of the Russian revolution and the civil war that followed it。 The author doesn’t take sides but just tells this gruesome tale as it unfolds。 The amount of research he must have carried out is breathtaking。This atrocious human tragedy claimed approximately twelve million lives。 The number of different factions involved in the bloodletting is mind boggling。A couple of words of warning。The story as it unfolds is so bewildering at times that it demands a second reading。I read the book on kindle but， given the importance of the maps （which can’t be seen too clearly in ebook） I plan to get the paperback copy when it’s published。David Lowther。 Author of The Blue Pencil， Liberating Belsen， Two Families at War and The Summer of ‘39， all published by Sacristy Press。 。。。more
Graham Catt
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The collapse of Tsarist Russia ushered in a period of mass murder， rape， looting， disease， famine and destruction。Antony Beevor masterfully unravels the chaos of those years。Does the trauma of this anarchy and the following authoritarian nightmare help explain today’s Russia？Highly recommended for anyone interested in Russian or 20th Century history。
Simon Beechinor
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A complex but good read。 This books provides some insight into understanding the collapse of Russian society after ww1 and its impact on current affairs。 It is an astounding account too of Russian military incompetence and uncompromising brutality under corrupt leadership。
Jon Lisle-Summers
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The revolution eats itselfThis book shows， in gruesome detail， that bloody history repeats itself。 The detail of relentless， torture， murder and revenge， White and Red， that began and simply never came to an end， is hard to take in but， depressingly， is even now continuing today in Ukraine。The magnitude of the slaughter becomes clearer and clearer as the book unfolds。 The origins of the Great Famine and the deliberate revenge of the homodolor in Ukraine is better understood through the prism of The revolution eats itselfThis book shows， in gruesome detail， that bloody history repeats itself。 The detail of relentless， torture， murder and revenge， White and Red， that began and simply never came to an end， is hard to take in but， depressingly， is even now continuing today in Ukraine。The magnitude of the slaughter becomes clearer and clearer as the book unfolds。 The origins of the Great Famine and the deliberate revenge of the homodolor in Ukraine is better understood through the prism of the Civil War。Historians speak of the Terror of 1937-8 as if it was a discrete event。 This text shows it was nothing of the kind - it was just an extension of the vile genocide policy of the Bolsheviks which ultimately devoured Bolshevism itself。 It's a hard read but worth it， if you can stand it。 。 。。。more
Walden Effingham
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Some may question the wisdom of reading this as a "holiday read"。 I'm sure I'm not the usual reader of Antony Beevor's books， but nevertheless this is a very important book。I came to the subject with no knowledge whatsoever （and I felt the book presumed the reader had at least some knowledge）。I chose to read this as child#1 is studying the Russian Revolution and Civil War for a-level， and I thought I could then quiz him on it （-actually， he has a better overview of the subject than me）。Neverthel Some may question the wisdom of reading this as a "holiday read"。 I'm sure I'm not the usual reader of Antony Beevor's books， but nevertheless this is a very important book。I came to the subject with no knowledge whatsoever （and I felt the book presumed the reader had at least some knowledge）。I chose to read this as child#1 is studying the Russian Revolution and Civil War for a-level， and I thought I could then quiz him on it （-actually， he has a better overview of the subject than me）。Nevertheless， I enjoyed this book。 That is to say， if enjoyment is the right word。 As it's detail of the atrocities that occurred is astonishing。 （And sheds some light on the present Ukrainian War。）There are some take home messages for modern life:1。 Revolutions can be bred by minority parties， and complacent societies can be caught napping。2。Humanity may have developed in the last 100 years， but I suspect it is still capable of atrocity。3。 Beware politicians who generate their own narrative （to be fair ， they all do this）， that can quickly replace the truth ， and then drive agendas。4。 If there is ever the whiff of revolution in the air， leave the country immediately！ 。。。more
Nick Harriss
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Having read “Red Famine” and “The Empire Must Die” recently， this book focuses on the time period between the two， so seemed a perfect next read。 This achieved that task very well。 While it’s coverage of the Revolution itself was not as good as “The Empire Must Die”， that of the Civil War was first class， and enlightening in many ways。
bernardhughes
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