Synopses & Reviews
Shortly after withdrawing from World War I, Russia descended into a bitter civil war unprecedented for its savagery: epidemics, battles, mass executions, forced labor, and famine claimed millions of lives. From 1918 to 1921, through great cities and tiny villages, across untouched forests and vast frozen wasteland, the Bolshevik "Reds" fought the anti-Communist Whites and their Allies (fourteen foreign countries contributed weapons, money, and troopsincluding 20,000 American soldiers). This landmark history re-creates the epic conflict that transformed Russia from the Empire of the Tsars into the Empire of the Commissars, while never losing sight of the horrifying human cost.
Review
"Before 1917, Lenin's Bolsheviks had a vision of a just, humane, democratic Russia. By 1921 that vision had become so skewed as to produce a vicious despotism that would endure until 1985—the year of Gorbachev's accession—with only minor breathing spells. What happened? The Civil War. It was one of the most savage conflicts of this misbegotten century, and it scarred all whom it touched, and their descendants. Professor Lincoln, one of the West's leading authorities on Russia, recounts this period of Russian-Soviet history with rare skill and insight." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)
Synopsis
"Shortly after withdrawing from World War I, Russia descended into a bitter civil war unprecedented for its savagery: epidemics, battles, mass executions, forced labor, and famine claimed millions of l"
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 527-602) and index.
About the Author
W. Bruce Lincoln was the Distinguished Professor of Russian History at Northern Illinois University. He was the author of Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of a Thousand Years of Artistic Life in Russia and almost a dozen other books. W. Bruce Lincoln died on April 9, 2000 at the age of 61.