The Bolsheviks and Britain during the Russian Revolution and Civil War, 1917-24

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Description

This book analyses the principal aspects of the relations between Soviet Russia (USSR) and Britain in the crucial phase of their formation, namely the period from 1917 to 1924. Using previously unavailable and largely unknown archival records and memoirs published by statesmen, diplomats and military commanders directly involved in the events, Evgeny Sergeev not only reconstructs the dynamics of the interaction between Moscow and London, but also strips its key episodes of common myths and stereotypes. The most debatable issues, to which this study draws its primary attention, include Britains role in the Entente armed intervention against the Bolshevik regime as well as a series of reciprocate attempts to avoid political controversies, and London's contribution to humanitarian aid and the economic recovery of post-revolutionary Russia. Special consideration is also given to the impact of British diplomacy on the recognition of the USSR by other great powers like France, Italy, and Japan in the mid-1920s.

Reviews

Sergeev, a highly respected historian of Russian foreign relations in the early twentieth century, has produced a deeply researched and nuanced account of the complex and dramatic story of British-Soviet relations during the revolution and civil war. I learned a great deal from his careful reconstruction of episodes that have long been mired in polemical dispute. * Eric Lohr, Professor of Russian History, American University, USA *

Author Bio

Evgeny Sergeev is Chief Research Fellow at Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of World History, Russia and Professor of International and British History at Russian State University for the Humanities, Russia. He is the author of several books, including The Great Game, 18561907: Russo-British Relations in Central and East Asia (2013) and Russian Military Intelligence in the War with Japan, 1904-5 (2007).