Russia's First World War: A Social and Economic History

'In this mesmerising study¿[t]he kaleidoscopic complexities and contradictions within Russian society as the country struggled to stay in the war are masterfully portrayed.' Professor Geoffrey Swain, University of the West of England

'Gatrell is thorough and judicious in his judgments and analysis¿ one can read this volume with full confidence in the reliability of the information.' Daniel Orlovsky, Southern Methodist University, Dallas

 

The story of Russia¿s First World War remains largely unknown, neglected by historians who have been more interested in the grand drama that unfolded in 1917. In Russia¿s First World W ar : A Social and Economic History Peter Gatrell shows that war is itself ¿revolutionary¿ ¿ rupturing established social and economic ties, but also creating new social and economic relationships, affiliations, practices and opportunities.

 

Gatrell looks at the First World War in Russia for its own sake, not just as the seedbed of the Revolution. He establishes the impact of war on privileged and plebeian groups in Russian society, and on displaced persons, focusing on society and economy in the three years that preceded the Russian revolution to consider:

·         Who were the key decision-makers and what were the consequences of their decisions for Russia¿s home front?

·         To what extent was Russia a victim of economic backwardness?

·         How did the war affect the existing faultlines in Russian society?

·         In what ways did the war continue to reverberate during 1917 and 1918?

 

Russia¿s First World W ar brings together the findings of Russian and non-Russian historians, and draws upon fresh research. It turns the spotlight on what Churchill called the ¿unknown war¿, providing an authoritative account that finally does justice to the impact of war on Russia¿s home front.

 

 

 

Peter Gatrell is Professor of Economic History at the University of Manchester. He has written extensively on Russia, including (with Nick Baron) Homelands: W ar , Population and Statehood in Eastern Europe and Russia , 1918-1924 (2004) and the prize-winning book, A Whole Empire Walking: Refugees in Russia during World W ar I (1999).

 

 

 

 

 

'In this mesmerising study…[the kaleidoscopic complexities and contradictions within Russian society as the country struggled to stay in the war are masterfully portrayed.'

Professor Geoffrey Swain, University of the West of England

'Gatrell is thorough and judicious in his judgments and analysis… one can read this volume with full confidence in the reliability of the information.'

Daniel Orlovsky, Southern Methodist University, Dallas

'I expect that this book will quickly find a wide audience...sure to remain a foundational text for a long time.'

Joshua Sanborn, Lafayette College

'the definitive work on the subject ... thoughtfully constructed and brilliantly executed'.

'...just the sort of reliable account of its subject that has long been needed and will benefit both specialists and students.'

Professor Lewis Siegelbaum  A merican Historical Review (vol. 111 no. 1, 2006)

'a thought-provoking analysis ... will be the first port of call for anyone looking to understand either wartime Russia or the economic background to the 1917 Revolution'.

Professor Ewan Mawdsley Russian Review (March 2006)

The story of Russia¿s First World War remains largely unknown, neglected by historians who have been more interested in the grand drama that unfolded in 1917. In Russia¿s First World War: A Social and Economic History Peter Gatrell shows that war is itself ¿revolutionary¿ ¿ rupturing established social and economic ties, but also creating new social and economic relationships, affiliations, practices and opportunities.

Russia¿s First World War brings together the findings of Russian and non-Russian historians, and draws upon fresh research. It turns the spotlight on what Churchill called the ¿unknown war¿, providing an authoritative account that finally does justice to the impact of war on Russia¿s home front

Did you know that over 1 million Russian lives were lost during the first world war? However, the Russian experience of the Great Warhas not been explored and understood to the same extent as its western counterparts.  This book asks why.

• Prize-winning author
• New findings and fresh research by both Russian and non-Russian historians
• A fresh perspective upon Russia's war experiences

Dedication

Contents

List of tables and maps

Preface

Introduction

1.      The front line, 1914-1916

2.       ¿Educated society' and the Russian elite

3.      Narod: plebeian society during the war

4.      Tsarist authority in question, 1915-1916

5.      Mobilising industry: Russia's war economy at full stretch

6.      Paying for the war, Russian style

7.      Feeding Russia: food supply as Achilles' heel

8.      Economic nationalism and the mobilisation of ethnicity in the 'great patriotic war'

9.      Hierarchy subverted: the February Revolution and the Provisional Government

10.  Economic meltdown and revolutionary objectives: from European war to Civil War, 1917-1918

11.  Russia's First World War: an overview