The Russian Civil War of 1917-1920, out of which the Soviet Union was born, was one of the most significant events of the twentieth century. The collapse of the Tsarist regime and the failure of the Kerensky Provisional Government nearly led to the complete disintegration of the Russian state. This book, however, is not simply the story of that collapse and the rebellion that accompanied it, but of the painful and costly reconstruction of Russian power under a Soviet regime. Evan Mawdsley's lucid account of this vast and complex subject explains in detail the power struggles and political manoeuvres of the war, providing a balanced analysis of why the Communists were victors. This edition includes illustrations, a new preface and an extensively updated bibliography.

About the Author

Evan Mawdsley is Professor of History at Glasgow University. He has written numerous books and articles on Russian history and is the co-author of The Soviet Elite from Lenin to Gorbachev. He lives in Glasgow.

Reviews

The Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War are hardly new territory for scholars, yet Mawdsley's excellent work here is not redundant but fresh throughout. With orderliness and clarity, the scholarly and prolific Mawdsley (modern history, Glasgow Univ.; Thunder in the East: The Nazi-Soviet War, 1941-1945) presents the minority view that the civil war began in October 1917, concurrent with rather than after the revolution. The "specter of Russian fighting Russian," seen as a possibility when Tsar Nicholas was overthrown in February 1917, became reality in Petrograd when armed soldiers and workers organized by the Bolsheviks brought down Aleksandr Kerensky's provisional government. The fighting spread and continued for three years, costing more than seven million lives. Although Mawdsley's frequent interjections explaining how and why this happened may have something of the lecture room about them, they are ultimately useful rather than distracting. However, despite its readability, this book is more for the informed than the lay reader.-Harold V. Cordry, Tecumseh, KS Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

'the best book ever written on the Russian Civil War ... a first-rate work of scholarly synthesis' - Robert McNeal 'a miracle of concision, clarity and completeness' - Michael Malancon 'abounds in controversial judgements, ably backed and well documented' - D.A. Longley