Jonathan Smele – författare

This volume offers a comprehensive and original analysis and reconceptualisation of the compendium of struggles that wracked the collapsing Tsarist empire and the emergent USSR, profoundly affecting the history of the twentieth century. Indeed, the reverberations of those decade-long wars echo to the present day - not despite, but because of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which re-opened many old wounds, from the Baltic to the Caucasus. Contemporary memorialising and ''de-memorialising'' of these wars, therefore form part of the book''s focus, but at its heart lie the struggles between various Russian political and military forces which sought to inherit and preserve, or even expand, the territory of the tsars, overlain with examinations of the attempts of many non-Russian national and religious groups to divide the former empire. The reasons why some of the latter were successful (Poland and Finland, for example), while others (Ukraine, Georgia and the Muslim Basmachi) were not, are as much the author''s concern as are explanations as to why the chief victors of the ''Russian'' Civil Wars were the Bolsheviks. Tellingly, the work begins and ends with battles in Central Asia - a theatre of the ''Russian'' Civil Wars that was closer to Mumbai than it was to Moscow.

This volume offers a comprehensive and original analysis and reconceptualisation of the compendium of struggles that wracked the collapsing Tsarist empire and the emergent USSR, profoundly affecting the history of the twentieth century. Indeed, the reverberations of those decade-long wars echo to the present day - not despite, but because of the collapse of the Soviet Union, which re-opened many old wounds, from the Baltic to the Caucasus. Contemporary memorialising and ''de-memorialising'' of these wars, therefore form part of the book''s focus, but at its heart lie the struggles between various Russian political and military forces which sought to inherit and preserve, or even expand, the territory of the tsars, overlain with examinations of the attempts of many non-Russian national and religious groups to divide the former empire. The reasons why some of the latter were successful (Poland and Finland, for example), while others (Ukraine, Georgia and the Muslim Basmachi) were not, are as much the author''s concern as are explanations as to why the chief victors of the ''Russian'' Civil Wars were the Bolsheviks. Tellingly, the work begins and ends with battles in Central Asia - a theatre of the ''Russian'' Civil Wars that was closer to Mumbai than it was to Moscow.

The Russian Revolution and Civil War in the years 1917 to 1921 is one of the most widely studied periods in history. It is also somewhat inevitably one that has generated a huge flow of literature in the decades that have passed since the events themselves. However, until now, historians of the revolution have had no dedicated bibliography of the period and little claim to bibliographical control over the literature. "The Russian Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921: An Annotated Bibliography" offers for the first time a comprehensive bibliographical guide to this crucial and fascinating period of history. The bibliography focuses on the key years of 1917 to 1921, starting with the February Revolution of 1917 and concluding with the 10th Party Congress of March 1921, and covers all the key events of the intervening years. It is not limited to English-language sources and includes key works in all the major West European languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish and others).It covers matters as thematically and geographically diverse as the resurrection of Poland, the creation of a newly independent Mongolia, the explosion of modernist creativity in the arts, and the mass emigration of Russians to Europe, Asia and America. As such it identifies these crucial years as something more than simply the creation of a communist state.

Tracing the evolution of gender relations from the late Imperial period, through the Soviet Union, and up to the present day, Gender in Modern Russia broadly examines the everyday lives of both women and men, as well as cultural and political constructions of gender and sexuality.Through a focus on the impact of four major themes - the state, work, the body and spirituality - Aaron B. Retish argues that the Communist experiment emancipated women and men from traditional social and political roles, but that crucially it did not break cultural roles and power relations. Retish goes on to show that this destabilization of gender roles largely explains why gender roles are so contested in present day Russia and why political, religious and cultural leaders use traditional gender images to assert control and to mobilize their base.This book is a vital text for anyone seeking to know more about the social history of Russia in the modern period.

Tracing the evolution of gender relations from the late Imperial period, through the Soviet Union, and up to the present day, Gender in Modern Russia broadly examines the everyday lives of both women and men, as well as cultural and political constructions of gender and sexuality.Through a focus on the impact of four major themes - the state, work, the body and spirituality - Aaron B. Retish argues that the Communist experiment emancipated women and men from traditional social and political roles, but that crucially it did not break cultural roles and power relations. Retish goes on to show that this destabilization of gender roles largely explains why gender roles are so contested in present day Russia and why political, religious and cultural leaders use traditional gender images to assert control and to mobilize their base.This book is a vital text for anyone seeking to know more about the social history of Russia in the modern period.

Charlotte Alston’s important new study explores the relationship between Russian anti-state activists and western publics, intellectuals and governments, from 1848 to the present.Russian activists and writers were important agents in shaping western engagement with Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries and this book analyses and traces their involvement. From the 1890s Russian revolutionaries and western sympathisers and the 1920s opponents of the early Soviet regime, through to the 1960s and 1970s dissident literature, smuggled out of the Soviet Union and published abroad to shape western understandings of the Soviet system, Alston investigates the ways in which anti-state polemics shaped and sometimes challenged western understandings of Russia. It also goes on to explore the opportunities and limitations afforded by the western space in which such activists operated.Beginning in the tsarist era, and moving from the early revolutionary and Stalinist regimes through to the thaw, glasnost and the ‘new Russia’, Dissidents, Émigrés and Revolutionaries in Russia deals with Russian dissenters and Russian authorities of many political stripes in what is a vital text for all students and scholars of modern Russian history.

The Russian Intelligentsia is the first single-volume history of a small but tremendously influential group of Russian intellectuals who achieved world renown in a variety of spheres. While previous accounts have addressed the history of individuals within this collective, Christopher Read offers the first explanation of the intelligentsia as a group. Read traces the vast debates that broke out between, and within, a multitude of intellectual factions, and contextualizes the ideas of the group within the framework of cultural, social, political, and economic development from the late 18th century to the present day.This comprehensive yet accessible account demonstrates how the Russian intelligentsia morphed from one incarnation to the next, and effectively situates this change and continuity within a pan-European context. It considers the role of the intelligentsia throughout its origins, its transformation during the Russian Revolution, and since the collapse of communism, and highlights the beliefs of key figures such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ivan Pavlov, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Mikhail Gorbachev. In doing so, Read provides an essential guide to a fascinating aspect of Russia’s social and cultural history.

This book examines the rise and the fall of the Russian Empire through the lens of its military history. While much of the literature on this history tends to focus on epochs, The Russian Military and the Creation of Empire uses a variety of archival sources to capture this aspect of modern Russia from Peter the Great right up to the present day.John W. Steinberg analyzes the social dynamic between Russian society and its military over time. Through a focus on civil-military relations, he demonstrates that both the Tsarist and Soviet regimes were built on, and ultimately dependent upon, the support of the military. Case studies of significant battles are also used throughout the volume to reveal insights into the roles, missions, and capabilities of the Russian military since 1689. The Russian Military and the Creation of Empire is a vital study for all students of modern Russia and the history of modern warfare.

Russian populism, the belief that the peasantry embodied authentic Russian identity and once liberated from their poverty would lead the country to a brighter future, has animated Russian thought across the political spectrum and inspired much of Russia's world-historical literature, music and art in the 19th century. This book offers the fullest and most authoritative account of the rise, proliferation and influence of populist values and ideology in modern Russia to date.Christopher Ely explores the complete story of Russian populism. Starting from the cursed question of how to reconnect the popular masses with the Europeanized elite, he examines the populist obsession with the peasant commune as a model for a future socialist Russia. He shows how the desire for revolution led Russian radicals to flood into the countryside and later to pioneer terrorism as a form of political action. He delves into those artists influenced by populist ideals, and he tells the story of the collapse of populist optimism and its rebirth among the Socialist Revolutionary neo-populists. The book demonstrates that populism existed in forms ranging from radical socialist to religious conservative. Blending lively theoretical analysis with a wealth of primary sources and illustrations, Russian Populism provides a highly engaging overview of this complex phenomenon; it is invaluable reading for anyone interested in the momentous final decades of the Russian Empire.

A History of Education in Modern Russia is the first book to trace the significance of education in Russia from Peter the Great’s reign all the way through to Vladimir Putin and the present day.Individual chapters open with an overview of the political, social, diplomatic and cultural environment of the period in order to orient the reader. Dowler then goes on to analyse the aims of education initiatives in each era before considering the ways in which Russians experienced education, both as students and as teachers. Each chapter concludes with an assessment of the outcomes and consequences of education policies in the period, both the successes and failures as well as the impact of education on the cultural, social, economic and ultimately political environments. The chronologically arranged book also traces and then summarises underlying key themes like the tension between an open system of education and an estate-based system; the push and pull between utility and the broader goal of human development; and the effects of centralized, authoritarian control that for much of the period limited local initiative and starved the regions of adequate resources.

The Russian Revolution and Civil War in the years 1917 to 1921 is one of the most widely studied periods in history. It is also somewhat inevitably one that has generated a huge flow of literature in the decades that have passed since the events themselves. However, until now, historians of the revolution have had no dedicated bibliography of the period and little claim to bibliographical control over the literature. The Russian Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921offers for the first time a comprehensive bibliographical guide to this crucial and fascinating period of history. The Bibliography focuses on the key years of 1917 to 1921, starting with the February Revolution of 1917 and concluding with the 10th Party Congress of March 1921, and covers all the key events of the intervening years. As such it identifies these crucial years as something more than simply the creation of a communist state.

Marx and Russia is a chronological account of the evolution of Marxist thought from the publication of Das Kapital in Russian translation to the suppression of independent ideological currents by Stalin at the end of the 1920s. The book demonstrates the progressive emergence of different schools of Marxist thinking in the revolutionary era in Russia.Starting from Marx’s own connections with Russian revolutionaries and scholars, James D. White examines the contributions of such figures as Sieber, Plekhanov, Lenin, Bogdanov, Trotsky, Bukharin and Stalin to Marxist ideology in Russia. Using primary documents, biographical sketches and a helpful timeline, the book provides a useful guide for students to orientate themselves among the various Marxist ideologies which they encounter in modern Russian history. White also incorporates valuable new research for Russian history specialists in a vital volume for anyone interested in the history of Marxism, Soviet history and the history of Russia across the modern period.

Examining the history of workers in Russia from the time of Peter the Great to the present, this book analyzes Russia’s labour history in the global context of a modernizing world; it ensures that the history of workers in Russia can be understood in relation to that of the rest of Europe and beyond. Alice Pate explains the social and political forces that shaped workers lives and impacted upon the development of modern Russia and the Soviet Union, addressing major historical themes, such as urbanization, modernization, state and society, globalization as well as state formation, along the way.The History of the Russian Worker, which includes a useful glossary and end-of-chapter reading lists to aid further study, charts the rise of the working class in the early 18th century, its huge influence in the revolutionary movement of the late 19th century and its significant role in the shaping of events from the 20th century onwards. It also incorporates a range of primary sources and secondary literature as part of a rich investigation into the topic.This vital synthesis of Russian labour history is an important volume for anyone wanting to know more about Russia’s evolution during the modern period and its place within the modern world.