In the russian revolution, historian sean mcmeekin traces the origins and events of the russian revolution, which brought an end to romanov rule and ushered the bolsheviks into power. May 30, 2017 drawing on his extensive knowledge of russian and german history, mcmeekin provides perhaps the clearest explanation yet of how and why the october revolution of 1917 was the realisation of an outofcontrol german plan to destabilise russia and knock her out of the first world war. Top 10 books about the russian revolution books the. Professor sean mcmeekin and the construction of a historical. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the history of the russian revolution, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. This book by sean mcmeekin is the first one on the topic of the russian revolution which i have read. Luckily, in the midst of all this, i assigned myself the utterly light reading of sean mcmeekins blockbuster revisionist history, the russian revolution. Even public officials are shy of commemorating that part of the countrys. But what comes across as mcmeekin narrates the utter ineptitude of the government created by the february revolution is the sheer dumb luck of the bolsheviks. Historians have never resolved a central mystery of the russian revolution. Historian sean mcmeekin has written a very readable revisionist history of the russian revolution. The russian revolution is a carefully researched, wellwritten assessment of the complex and confusing events that did so much to shape the last century. Fortunately for historians of the revolution, he writes, the years since 1991 have seen an explosion of research into russias military performance in world war i from 1914 to 1917.
Drawing on his extensive knowledge of russian and german history, mcmeekin provides perhaps the clearest explanation yet of how and why the october revolution of 1917 was the realisation of an outofcontrol german plan to destabilise russia and knock her out of the first world war. His main theme in the current book is russias fatal course of action in the first world war. Thanks to mcmeekin s inclusion of the great powers in the narrative of both the revolution and the civil war, the reader is given a truly global perspective on this critical period of russian affairs. The russian revolution by sean mcmeekin basic books. Between 1917 and 1922, russia underwent a complete and irreversible transformation. Thus one could say the book is reactionary because it goes so far as to deny cause itswithin russian society for either the revolution that overthrew the tsar or the later soviet revolution.
Mcmeekin represents the same bewildered view that many russian aristocrats had toward the revolution in 1917. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Sean mcmeekin provides a timely reminder of communisms historic evils in his book the russian revolution. I really liked this account of the russian revolution. If readers are interested in a broad work covering the essential actors and historical events leading up to and following the russian revolution of 1917, this book is a. The last of the tsars and a new history robert service dearly wants to indict lenin for the murder of the tsar but has to admit there is no direct evidence, while. The definitive, singlevolume history of the russian revolution, from an awardwinning scholarin the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world. The perspective of the book is to look at the revolution from outside in. Mcmeekin points out that between 1825 and 1917, fewer than seventy people per year were executed in the entire countrynot for political offenses, but for all offenses, including murder.
Top 10 books about the russian revolution a century after the bolsheviks seized power for communism, tariq ali chooses some of the best books. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The viewpoint in the present book is mostly that of the ultrareactionary. In the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events that ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world. Mcmeekins focus is, unsurprisingly, not the war in flanders, but on the other side of the continent, which, while it was up and down, generally featured russian success. May 29, 2017 an excellent resource for the facts and key players in russian history from the start of wwi to the mid1920s. Nov 24, 2017 sean mcmeekin, professor of history at bard college, argues that the russian revolutions of 1917 are misunderstood in the west because we have been influenced by the many accounts such as ten days that shook the world by john reed that examine the upheaval using the concepts and the vocabulary of marxist sociology and economics. The russian revolution sean mcmeekin history forum. Lenin by victor sebestyen the russian revolution by sean mcmeekin 1917 by boris dralyuk october by china mieville 1917 by arthur herman books about. Mcmeekin is a reliable guide to a complex story and the book moves seamlessly and clearly across a vast landscape of people and events.
Of course, lenin springs to mind as the great leader of the revolution, but when he finally appeared, he had been out of the country for years. The definitive, singlevolume history of the russian revolution, from an awardwinning scholar in the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world. On the afternoon of july 4, 1917, thousands of soldiers, sailors and workers converged on a former royal. Aug 02, 2017 i just finished reading it and found very inforamative and fluent, simple to read. Russian revolution, sean mcmeekins new revisionist.
A new history recalibrates the villains of the russian. Between the dawn of the 20th century and 1920, russia underwent a complete and irreversible transformation, the effects of which. Hence we learn more about the opposition to lenin rather than an inside out view. Between 1917 and 1922, russia underwent a complete and irreversible. Mcmeekin is no ranke his book bears very unteutonic marks of haste. History of the russian revolution download pdfepub ebook. Sean mcmeekin, professor of history at bard college, argues that the russian revolution s of 1917 are misunderstood in the west because we have been influenced by the many accounts such as ten days that shook the world by john reed that examine the upheaval using the concepts and the vocabulary of marxist sociology and economics. Jul 03, 2017 the definitive, singlevolume history of the russian revolution, from an awardwinning scholar in the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world. For according to mcmeekin, the events of 1917 were filled with mighthavebeens and missed.
May 30, 2017 the definitive, singlevolume history of the russian revolution, from an awardwinning scholar in the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world. In the russian revolution, historian sean mcmeekin traces the origins and events of the russian revolution, which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and changed the course of world history. The russian revolution on the afternoon of july 4, 1917, thousands of soldiers, sailors and workers converged on a former royal palace, a sprawling palladian structure in the russian capital, then called petrograd. The russian revolution a new history by sean mcmeekin basic books. The book makes the even more astonishing claim that at the beginning of 1917 the. Between 1917 and 1922, russia underwent a complete and. Mcmeekin is a reliable guide to a complex story and the book moves. In the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world. The russian revolution audiobook sean mcmeekin audible. On the afternoon of july 4, 1917, thousands of soldiers, sailors and workers converged on a former.
Jun 02, 2017 the russian revolution by sean mcmeekin out of the blue. Heres why its taken a century for the world to see the russian revolution of 1917 clearly, as sean mcmeekin argues in his new book. A new history, by sean mcmeekin, is an interesting book chronicling the russian revolution from onset to about the 1920s, or the end of the civil war. It is reactionary because it goes so far as to deny cause within russian society for either the revolution that overthrew the tsar or the later soviet revolution. Jun 11, 2018 thanks to mcmeekins inclusion of the great powers in the narrative of both the revolution and the civil war, the reader is given a truly global perspective on this critical period of russian affairs. Mcmeekins book, however, does more to locate lenins success as due. Despite its many strengths, the reader can find shortcomings in mcmeekins book. Of course, lenin springs to mind as the great leader of the revolution, but when. The russian revolution the definitive, singlevolume history of the russian revolution, from an awardwinning scholar in the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world.
Professor sean mcmeekin revives discredited antilenin. Physical library locations have closed, but leoinstructional scanning options have expanded. Hence we learn more about the opposition to lenin rather than an inside out view which would focus more on the bolshevik leadership. It can best be described as the type of book spains franco, chiles pinochet or america. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the russian revolution. Despite its many strengths, the reader can find shortcomings in mcmeekin s book. A new history recalibrates the villains of the russian revolution. In the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the. Russian revolution 1917 29 books goodreads share book. May 12, 2016 the definitive, singlevolume history of the russian revolution, from an awardwinning scholar in the russian revolution, acclaimed historian sean mcmeekin traces the events which ended romanov rule, ushered the bolsheviks into power, and introduced communism to the world. If readers are interested in a broad work covering the essential actors and historical events leading up to and following the russian revolution of 1917, this book is a good place to start. The book is an excellent complement to a more indepth study of the russian revolution, fidges a peoples tragedy for example.
The russian revolution by sean mcmeekin out of the blue. And by january 1917, russian military morale was extremely high, weapons stocks were also high, and the capture of constantinople was eagerly awaited in the summer. Sep 23, 2018 mcmeekins focus is, unsurprisingly, not the war in flanders, but on the other side of the continent, which, while it was up and down, generally featured russian success. Jun 30, 2017 the article is based on mcmeekins recently published book, the russian revolution. For the first month after its inaugural postrevolutionary issue on march 12, 1917. Jun 06, 2017 the russian revolution a new history by sean mcmeekin basic books.
How did the bolsheviks, despite facing a world of enemies andleaving nothing but economic ruin in their path, manage to stay in power through five long years of civil war. In this penetrating book, sean mcmeekin draws on previously undiscovered materials from the soviet ministry of finance and other european and. After introducing tsarist russia in the beginning of 20th century and wwi, mcmeekin argues that bolshevik takeover and creation of soviet union between 1917 1924 was. The book makes the even more astonishing claim that at the beginning of 1917 the war was going well for russia and that, without a combination of circumstances. The russian revolution was a period of political and social revolution across the territory of the russian empire, commencing with the abolition of the monarchy in 1917, and concluding in 1923 after the bolshevik establishment of the soviet union at the end of the civil war. This, when thousands of government officials were assassinated by the left every year3,600 in 1905, for example.
The russian revolution toronto public library overdrive. Mcmeekin represents the same bewildered view that many russian aristocrats had toward the revolution in 191its a view from the top and a view in isolation. Luckily, in the midst of all this, i assigned myself the utterly light reading of sean mcmeekin s blockbuster revisionist history, the russian revolution. I just finished reading it and found very inforamative and fluent, simple to read. Between 1917 and 1922, russia underwent a complete and irreversible transf. The book provides new insight on lenin, trotsky, and other bolcheviks that mcmeekin was able to gather from russian archives that have now fully opened up. Some observations about the russian revolution, and about sean. Between 1900 and 1920, russia underwent a complete and irreversible transformation. I have previously read more than the average non russian person about russian history, but i am in no way an expert on the subject. The russian revolution ebook by sean mcmeekin 9780465094974. Forgetting the russian revolution as an inconvenient past is an. Russian revolution, sean mcmeekins new revisionist history. The russian revolution a new history by sean mcmeekin.