The Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War

(Hardback)

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The Bolshevik Revolution remains one of the most important events of modern history. It reshaped the political, social, and economic structure of one of the world's great powers and had enormous international impact. This work brings together a rich, readable account that will help students to understand the event and its significance, as well as ready-reference materials for student research. Six topical essays, a timeline of events, 13 lengthy biographical profiles of key players, and the text of 32 key documents provide a wealth of information on this seminal event in world history. The essays are all based on the most recent historical scholarship. An overview of the Bolshevik Revolution puts the event into historical perspective. Topical essays consider the aspirations of the Russian people, the nature of the Revolution, the civil wars, the issue of ethnicity and nationality, and the legacy of the Bolshevik Revolution. Biographical profiles cover fully the lives and contributions of the key players in the Revolution. A wealth of documents, with explanatory introductions, provides an excellent source of primary materials. An annotated bibliography guides the reader to appropriate works for further research. This work is an excellent introduction to the Bolshevik Revolution for the student and interested reader.

Reviews

[w]ill be of great use to all those teaching the history of Revolutionary Russia....Rex Wade....[T]he Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War....[a]lways reliable and in places excellent....[W]ade does his best to let students know that the current triumphalism of the West can be questioned and contextualised. He reminds us that, in the inter-war years, capitalism and liberal democracy did produce war, poverty and inequality, and this prompted concerned people to look to the Soviet Union as an alternative. And, while the Soviet Union fulfilled none of its revolutionary dreams, it did establish a reasonable social welfare system and a good system of state education. Perhaps for these remarks alone it is worth recommending Wade's book to all students.-Frank Cass Publishers
This book is a product of solid scholarship and an excellent choice for libraries. It will be of interest to highly motivated, college-bound students and to social-studies teachers wanting to refine their own understanding of this period.-School Library Journal
This volume is an important reanalysis and will balance more with contemporary views.-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher (GaleGroup.com)
Wade does an admirable job in disentangling the many threads of the Civil War, describing not just the political and military struggle but also the wrenching social and economic problems of this period as well as the elaboration of Bolshevik policy and practice (especially the use of repression)....this is a compact and eminently useful volume that provides a classroom alternative.-The Russian Review
"will be of great use to all those teaching the history of Revolutionary Russia....Rex Wade....The Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War....always reliable and in places excellent....Wade does his best to let students know that the current triumphalism of the West can be questioned and contextualised. He reminds us that, in the inter-war years, capitalism and liberal democracy did produce war, poverty and inequality, and this prompted concerned people to look to the Soviet Union as an alternative. And, while the Soviet Union fulfilled none of its revolutionary dreams, it did establish a reasonable social welfare system and a good system of state education. Perhaps for these remarks alone it is worth recommending Wade's book to all students."-Frank Cass Publishers
"This book is a product of solid scholarship and an excellent choice for libraries. It will be of interest to highly motivated, college-bound students and to social-studies teachers wanting to refine their own understanding of this period."-School Library Journal
"This volume is an important reanalysis and will balance more with contemporary views."-Blanche Woolls & David Loertscher (GaleGroup.com)
"Wade does an admirable job in disentangling the many threads of the Civil War, describing not just the political and military struggle but also the wrenching social and economic problems of this period as well as the elaboration of Bolshevik policy and practice (especially the use of repression)....this is a compact and eminently useful volume that provides a classroom alternative."-The Russian Review
"[w]ill be of great use to all those teaching the history of Revolutionary Russia....Rex Wade....[T]he Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War....[a]lways reliable and in places excellent....[W]ade does his best to let students know that the current triumphalism of the West can be questioned and contextualised. He reminds us that, in the inter-war years, capitalism and liberal democracy did produce war, poverty and inequality, and this prompted concerned people to look to the Soviet Union as an alternative. And, while the Soviet Union fulfilled none of its revolutionary dreams, it did establish a reasonable social welfare system and a good system of state education. Perhaps for these remarks alone it is worth recommending Wade's book to all students."-Frank Cass Publishers

Author Bio

REX A. WADE is Professor of Russian history at George Mason University. He is the author of several books on Russian history, including The Russian Revolution, 1917 (2000), Red Guards and Workers' Militias in the Russian Revolution (1984), The Russian Search for Peace, February-October 1917 (1969), and Documents of Soviet History (1991-1995). He is also the author of numerous articles and essays on Russian and Ukrainian history.