Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926
By (author) Jonathan D. Smele
Publication date:
19 November 2015Length of book:
1470 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442252806
This book is a detailed reference of the twentieth century struggles that were waged across and beyond the decaying Russian Empire at the end of the First World War, as tsarism and democratic alternatives to it collapsed and the world’s first Communist state, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was born. At the same time, it is a necessary corrective to studies that have viewed events of the time as a unitary “Russian Civil War” that sprang from the Russian Revolution of 1917. Instead, it contributes to the ongoing process of integrating the civil wars into a “continuum of crises” that wracked the Russian Empire and its would-be successor states across a prolonged period.
The Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926 covers the history of this period through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has almost 2,000 cross-referenced entries on individuals, political and governmental institutions and political parties, and military formations and concepts, as well as religion, art, film, propaganda, uniforms, and weaponry. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Russian Civil War.
The Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926 covers the history of this period through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has almost 2,000 cross-referenced entries on individuals, political and governmental institutions and political parties, and military formations and concepts, as well as religion, art, film, propaganda, uniforms, and weaponry. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Russian Civil War.
This excellent work by independent scholar and historian Smele offers readers close to 2,000 cross-referenced entries that note individuals as well as government, military, political, religious, media, and various social and arts institutions that played roles in the momentous struggle to destroy the Russian monarchy. The dictionary begins with the author's 60-page essay, which introduces readers to the events that culminated in the civil wars after the fall of the Russian Empire. Readers will acknowledge this was not merely a conflict between the Communist Red Army and the so-called Russian White Army but also a struggle among numerous regional factions and with military interventions from other countries. Included in this two-volume work are three detailed appendixes listing governing institutions, a glossary, and a 40-page bibliography that itself makes this work a major resource for serious researchers, students, and those with a keen interest in Russian-Soviet history. The work's clarity and organization justify its inclusion as a core reference resource in all academic libraries in which the study of Russian history or historic conflicts is part of the curriculum as well as in public libraries maintaining collections in world history.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels; general readers; professionals/practitioners.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All academic levels; general readers; professionals/practitioners.