A very in depth presentation of the incredible events stemming from revolution in Russia that did rock the world in 1917. The civil wars that erupted for about 3 years are detailed in a great work of research of academic quality.

The book takes some of the background leading up to the revolution and the scrambling by various factions and parties to try and seize the upper hand in the collapse of the Romanov rule and initial aftermath. Of course the Bolsheviks who were to some measure instigators but not really the dominant force gradually consolidate and grind on a seemingly never ending battle to subdue not only the White movements but also rival socialists.

The book jumps literally all over the place covering and endless clash of the warring parties in all the gory detail, and it is quite gory. The players on each side are presented in their effectiveness and ineffectiveness for a variety of reasons. We are of course introduced to a younger Josef Stalin who though instrumental in some of the struggles and encounters was not quite yet the dominant figure he would eventually become.

The raging battles and counter movements back and forth from not only the local factions but foreign interventionists is layed out in great detail and at times is dizzying to keep track of.

Ultimately it becomes apparent why the Bolsheviks prevailed seemingly almost from attrition. But they were certainly aided by the gross disorganization and lack of a central strategy my some many disparate parties all with their own immediate aims and now clear vision on what was to emerge.

The Bolsheviks on the other hand were quite clear on their aims and strategy and that was total domination, destruction, and submission with no middle ground.

A good book to gain a perspective on how brutal these affairs can be and as we witness the Russian intentions in Ukraine and beyond it appears that Mr.Putin has similar goals stemming from his origins in the party. That outcome is yet to be decided but he seems to be faced with a concentrated strategy not to allow it success and that may be the difference here. ( )

Mellan åren 1917 och 1921 utkämpades en förödande kamp i Ryssland. När Nikolaj II störtades i februari 1917 utbröt ett blodigt inbördeskrig mellan den tsartrogna Vita armén och den bolsjevikiska Röda armén. Ett krig som av många anses som den mest avgörande händelsen i modern historia.

This door-stopper of a book is, first of all, a work of military history. Beevor doesn’t have much to say about the social, political or economic history of that tumultuous period in Russia. But he has a lot to say about the various generals, the forces they commanded, their tactics and strategy. His greatest interest seems to be in the White generals, and we get to know Admiral Kolchak, General Denikin and Baron Wrangel as each individually makes their bid to overthrow the Bolsheviks, but then suffers defeat at the hands of the Red Army, commanded by Trotsky. I think that there is far too much detail about all this, which is why I would advise only those interested in military history to pick up this book. The other thing the book is filled with, and I caution readers with a weak stomach, is horror. The stories of torture, sadism and brutality are graphic and shocking beyond belief. As Beevor makes clear, both sides in the Russian Civil War committed terrible crimes, though as he summarises at the very end, the Bolsheviks may have been somewhat worse. Even things like the notorious pogroms conducted against defenceless Jewish communities were committed by both sides, and not only the openly anti-Semitic Whites. Beevor sees some of the inspiration for Nazi atrocities during the Second World War in the brutality committed during this one, such as the genocide of whole peoples. I think that may be a bit of a stretch — the Germans didn’t need inspiration from the Russians for the horrors they inflicted on the world. One minor gripe about the book concerns Georgia. While Beevor correctly points out that Georgia, then an independent country under Social Democratic rule, stayed neutral in the war, he ends the book before Georgia is invaded by the Red Army and forced against its will into the Soviet Union. ( )

A sweeping, important, masterful account of the Russian revolution and (probably less well known) civil war. ( )