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Russia
- Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
- Narrated by: Rob Heaps
- Length: 22 hrs and 4 mins
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Summary
Between 1917 and 1921 a devastating struggle took place in Russia following the collapse of the Tsarist empire. Many regard this savage civil war as the most influential event of the modern era. An incompatible White alliance of moderate socialists and reactionary monarchists stood little chance against Trotsky's Red Army and Lenin's single-minded Communist dictatorship. Terror begat terror, which in turn led to even greater cruelty with man's inhumanity to man, woman and child. The struggle became a world war by proxy as Churchill deployed weaponry and troops from the British empire, while armed forces from the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Poland and Czechoslovakia played rival parts.
Using the most up to date scholarship and archival research, Antony Beevor, author of the acclaimed international bestseller Stalingrad, assembles the complete picture in a gripping narrative that conveys the conflict through the eyes of everyone from the worker on the streets of Petrograd to the cavalry officer on the battlefield and the woman doctor in an improvised hospital.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
Critic reviews
"The book is a masterpiece." (The Spectator)
"A gripping narrative history of one of the most complex episodes in modern Russian history." (Sunday Times)
"Antony Beevor's Russia is a masterpiece of history." (Daily Telegraph)
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- Rick
- 17-10-23
Informative and Well Written
A subject I went into with very little knowledge, very precise and educational, as an English speaker it’s a little difficult to follow all the names just by listening to it, would recommend having the book along side for a little clarity but that is all.
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- Chris
- 27-07-22
A brutal and forensic account
During lockdown I read numerous books on Russia, Stalin and of course Putin. It was no surprise when he invaded (special manoeuvres my a*se) the Ukraine, the history is there, and Putin had a love of the Ukrania.
I listened to Antony at the Hay Festival 2022, his knowledge of Russia is astounding and totally captivating. I had to buy the book, alas I decided to listen to it instead as I was travelling – but it was handy to have the book as well for reference.
This is forensic beyond belief; I will confess to getting lost amongst all the army divisions and (to a degree) who was fighting who at times. But the brutality was not lost in this book, the descriptions were harrowing and shocking. Thanks to this and other similar books before this, my understanding of this period of history has improved – even if some of it is hard to believe. It is no wonder that Russia has gone backwards, they love an autocrat..!!
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- Anonymous User
- 21-07-23
Russia
A very complex but detailed account of the Russian Revolution. When i think of all the brutal regimes through out history this one is by far the worst in my opinion. At times i found it very difficult to listen to.there were no good guys just genocide commited by all sides. But i enjoyed the audio and narration.👍😢
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- Kuma
- 15-06-22
A compelling, energetic and enjoyable history
This is a tremendous effort by Beevor to narrate a period of history that is both complex, at times heart breaking and always relentless.
The text is well organised and captures the international aspects of the conflict. It offers an unvarnished view of all sides superbly.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Paul Hennigan
- 25-12-23
Brilliant but harrowing
You need a strong stomach for this - the depths of the inhumanity in the Russian Civil War are astounding. Mr Beevor doesn't hold back. It seems the only people who could possible outdo the Whites for callous brutality were their fellow countrymen, the Bolsheviks.
After reading this it is no wonder Russia is what it is.
Quite revealing about Churchill too, not in a good way for his legacy.
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- Alex Lee
- 27-07-22
Good but too much focus on the whites.
A great book but I wish Beevor had done more to explain why the Bolsheviks gained so much support. He seems to focus more on the whites and why they lost but he doesn't in my opinion really give enough attention to why they faced such opposition from the working class despite the red army's brutality. That's not to say that he isn't fair in explaining the whites committed atrocities too and he doesn't gloss over this in anyway. It's just I don't feel as though Beevor has properly given his opinion as to why the revolution happened and why even after all the savagery of the reds people remained commited to the Bolsheviks. He explains that the Bolsheviks were more organised and unified than the whites but this doesn't explain the fanaticism and hatred your average rank and file red army soldier had for the whites. it also doesn't explain how their numbers grew so large and how they were able to maintain such commitment to the cause. I refuse to believe it was only fear of reprisals from the checka that kept the red army together. Overall it's a good read, it's a long complex and difficult history but I feel I understand the history better now. I definitely know more about the whites and allied intervention than before I started this book.
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- Kindle Customer 007
- 01-10-22
Revealing
Very informative, though concentrated a great deal on the conflicts and not enough on the people that drove it all. Quite light on Lenin in my view as the ultimate architect.
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- Kindle Customer
- 15-03-24
Destruction
I needed maps to be able to follow the campaigns. My atlases were helpful but I will probably have to buy the book to really get all the details.
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- Mr J Coates
- 24-06-22
Hard Going!
This is both a wonderful and terrible book at the same time. Wonderfully comprehensive, written and narrated. Terrible in hearing of man's total depravity sinking lower than animals. I listened to it travelling around the Highlands of Scotland and Isle of Skye where the contrast between the beauty of God's creation and man's barbarity was made so much the more stark. I would highly recommend this book but be prepared for the hard going of its theme.
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7 people found this helpful
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- djmp
- 25-06-22
Superb analysis
Lays bare the cruelty of Civil War, the extreme Bolshevik methods, subsequent Nazi "learning"
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1 person found this helpful