The Dilemmas of Lenin

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Author :
Publisher : Verso Books
ISBN 13 : 178663113X
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (866 download)

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Book Synopsis The Dilemmas of Lenin by : Tariq Ali

Download or read book The Dilemmas of Lenin written by Tariq Ali and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2017-04-25 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The secret life of the man who reshaped Russia Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, leader of the October 1917 uprising, is one of the most misunderstood leaders of the twentieth century. In his own time, there were many, even among his enemies, who acknowledged the full magnitude of his intellectual and political achievements. But his legacy has been lost in misinterpretation; he is worshipped but rarely read. On the centenary of the Russian Revolution, Tariq Ali explores the two major influences on Lenin’s thought—the turbulent history of Tsarist Russia and the birth of the international labour movement—and explains how Lenin confronted dilemmas that still cast a shadow over the present. Is terrorism ever a viable strategy? Is support for imperial wars ever justified? Can politics be made without a party? Was the seizure of power in 1917 morally justified? Should he have parted company from his wife and lived with his lover? In The Dilemmas of Lenin, Ali provides an insightful portrait of Lenin’s deepest preoccupations and underlines the clarity and vigour of his theoretical and political formulations. He concludes with an affecting account of Lenin’s last two years, when he realized that “we knew nothing” and insisted that the revolution had to be renewed lest it wither and die.

Communism and the Dilemmas of National Liberation

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Author :
Publisher : Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Communism and the Dilemmas of National Liberation by : James Earnest Mace

Download or read book Communism and the Dilemmas of National Liberation written by James Earnest Mace and published by Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. This book was released on 1983 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ukrainization originally meant active recruitment of Ukrainians into the Soviet state, but soon Ukrainian communists came to demand far greater self-determination than Moscow would tolerate. Those who made such demands in the 1920s were labelled "national deviationists," and the issues they raised engulfed the regime in a major political crisis.

Russia and the West Under Lenin and Stalin

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Author :
Publisher : Plunkett Lake Press
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Russia and the West Under Lenin and Stalin by : George F. Kennan

Download or read book Russia and the West Under Lenin and Stalin written by George F. Kennan and published by Plunkett Lake Press. This book was released on 2021-02-04 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “The material contained in this book is drawn from lectures, some of which were delivered in 1957-1958 in the schools at Oxford University, others — in the spring of 1960 — at Harvard University... This is a study of the relationship between the Soviet Union and the major Western countries, from the inception of the Soviet regime in 1917 to the end of World War II. It is not intended as a chronological account of the happenings in this phase of diplomatic history, but rather as a series of discussions of individual episodes or problems.” — George F. Kennan, Russia and the West Under Lenin and Stalin Kennan describes the diplomatic dilemmas that grew out of ignorance and mutual distrust, beginning with the Allied intervention in Russia in 1918, through World War I, the Versailles conference, Stalin’s bloody purges of 1934-1938, the Soviet-German Nonaggression Pact of 1939, the end of World War II, and the meeting in Yalta between Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt. “It is not often that a book as instructive as this one manages at the same time to be so engrossing that it is bound to keep even general readers fascinated long past their bedtimes. The book’s message is a stern one; the pleasure in reading it derives from the elegant and yet fresh prose style that is one of the many gifts of [the author who] is an artist as well as an experienced diplomat; a moralist as well as a consummate historian. With superb felicity and grace, he here unfolds a historical narrative rich in prophetic judgments — prophetic in the Biblical sense of the word. Not everyone, of course, will agree with all of Mr. Kennan’s conclusions, but there is so much that is useful in this volume that even those who have reservations about one or another of the judgments in it will welcome it warmly as a significant contribution in several ways.” — Marshall D. Shulman, The New York Times “Superbly concise, meaty, and lucid. It surveys the whole fascinating, involved drama of Communism’s rise to world power.” — Newsweek “Every adult American ought to read it.” — William L. Shirer “Surely one of the most important books since the end of the last war... an over-all view that transcends the provinciality of so much of our foreign policy and embraces the whole immense area from Washington to Peking.” —The New Yorker “An important, a disturbing, a deeply moving book.” — New York Herald Tribune Book Review “Not only Mr. Kennan’s finest book, but also the best that has been written on Russia in this century.” — Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart “In this absorbing and eloquent book... Mr. Kennan reviews with much perception and sensitivity the ragged course of relations between the Soviet Union and the West from 1917 to 1945. While there is much in Western understanding and action to be criticized in the early years, during the inter-war period and during World War II, Mr. Kennan is keenly aware of the intense hostility of the Communist stance which exacerbated all problems.” — Foreign Affairs “Kennan, a fine writer as well as historian and diplomat, has made a magnificent attempt to put into order the chaotic relations between Russia and the West from the Communist Revolution to the end of World War II... A most important book, deserving the widest possible readership.” — Kirkus “[A] remarkable ‘best-seller.’ This fact is a tribute to both the author and the subject with which he deals. It is superfluous to comment on Mr. Kennan’s authority or on the brilliance of his lucid prose, which are again in evidence in this work. It is a volume not easily put aside as a mere purveyor of information; it solicits judgments and proffers them lavishly, inviting agreement or dissent.” — Slavic Review “[A] valuable volume. It is full of flashes of insight, into both Soviet and Western attitudes and policies, and it reveals the painful dilemmas Wilson, Roosevelt, and other Western leaders faced in dealing with this new state and system.” — The Slavic and East European Journal

The Lenin Scenario

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Author :
Publisher : Verso Books
ISBN 13 : 1804292915
Total Pages : 161 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (42 download)

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Book Synopsis The Lenin Scenario by : Tariq Ali

Download or read book The Lenin Scenario written by Tariq Ali and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2024-02-06 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The revolutionary world leader’s extraordinary life, published for the centenary of Lenin’s death Commissioned by Oliver Stone in 2015 to commemorate the Russian Revolution, Tariq Ali’s captivating screenplay of the life and times of Vladimir Lenin puts flesh on the bones of the historical record and gets its pulse racing. From the author of The Dilemmas of Lenin, the drama captures the enigma of its central character. Ali shows Lenin in his rush from Switzerland to Petrograd by train to grasp his moment in history and the force of his personality on the tumult he found there. He made a revolution and remade a nation. Interwoven with the politics is an exploration of Lenin’s personal life, especially his love for Inessa Armand. In the introduction, Ali argues that, despite the difficulties, a serious cinematic assessment of Lenin is still needed. Unfortunately, two very different attempts to film one failed. This first draft provides the basis for something on a grander scale at some stage in the future. Praise for The Dilemmas of Lenin ‘Aims to rescue Lenin from both liberal caricature and Soviet hag- iography by recovering the realism and dynamism of his political thought’ David Sessions, Nation ‘An incredibly powerful, panoramic, and insightful study of the central revolutionary figure of the twentieth century’ Paul LeBlanc, author of Lenin and the Revolutionary Party

Dilemmas of Russian Capitalism

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Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674015494
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (154 download)

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Book Synopsis Dilemmas of Russian Capitalism by : Thomas C. Owen

Download or read book Dilemmas of Russian Capitalism written by Thomas C. Owen and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2005-02-28 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fedor Chizhov built the first railroad owned entirely by Russian stockholders, created Moscow’s first bank and mutual credit society, and launched the first profitable steamship line based in Archangel. In this valuable book, Thomas Owen vividly illuminates the life and world of this seminal figure in early Russian capitalism. Chizhov condemned European capitalism as detrimental to the ideal of community and the well-being of workers and peasants. In his strategy of economic nationalism, Chizhov sought to motivate merchants to undertake new forms of corporate enterprise without undermining ethnic Russian culture. He faced numerous obstacles, from the lack of domestic investment capital to the shortage of enlightened entrepreneurial talent. But he reserved his harshest criticism for the tsarist ministers, whose incompetence and prejudice against private entrepreneurship proved his greatest hindrance. Richly documented from Chizhov’s detailed diary, this work offers an insightful exploration of the institutional impediments to capitalism and the rule of law that plagued the tsarist empire and continue to bedevil post-Soviet Russia.

Lenin the Dictator

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Author :
Publisher : Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN 13 : 9781474601054
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (1 download)

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Book Synopsis Lenin the Dictator by : Victor Sebestyen

Download or read book Lenin the Dictator written by Victor Sebestyen and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. This book was released on 2018-07-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A fresh, powerful portrait of Lenin' Anne Applebaum, author of Red Famine 'Richly readable ... An enthralling but appalling story' Francis Wheen, author of Karl Marx The cold, one-dimensional figure of Lenin the political fanatic is only a partial truth. Drawing on extensive material that has only recently become available, Sebestyen's gripping biography casts an intriguing new light on the character behind the politics. In reality, Lenin was a man who loved nature as much as he loved making revolution, and his closest relationships were with women. He built a state based on terror. But he was a highly emotional man given to furious rages and deep passions. While never ignoring the politics, Sebestyen examines Lenin's inner life, his relationship with his wife and his long love affair with Inessa Armand, the most romantic and beguiling of Bolsheviks. These two women were as significant as the men - Stalin or Trotsky - who created the world's first Communist state with him.

Reconstructing Lenin

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Author :
Publisher : NYU Press
ISBN 13 : 1583674616
Total Pages : 544 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (836 download)

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Book Synopsis Reconstructing Lenin by : Tamás Krausz

Download or read book Reconstructing Lenin written by Tamás Krausz and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2015-02-27 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is among the most enigmatic and influential figures of the twentieth century. While his life and work are crucial to any understanding of modern history and the socialist movement, generations of writers on the left and the right have seen fit to embalm him endlessly with superficial analysis or dreary dogma. Now, after the fall of the Soviet Union and “actually-existing” socialism, it is possible to consider Lenin afresh, with sober senses trained on his historical context and how it shaped his theoretical and political contributions. Reconstructing Lenin, four decades in the making and now available in English for the first time, is an attempt to do just that. Tamás Krausz, an esteemed Hungarian scholar writing in the tradition of György Lukács, Ferenc Tokei, and István Mészáros, makes a major contribution to a growing field of contemporary Lenin studies. This rich and penetrating account reveals Lenin busy at the work of revolution, his thought shaped by immediate political events but never straying far from a coherent theoretical perspective. Krausz balances detailed descriptions of Lenin’s time and place with lucid explications of his intellectual development, covering a range of topics like war and revolution, dictatorship and democracy, socialism and utopianism.Reconstructing Lenin will change the way you look at a man and a movement; it will also introduce the English-speaking world to a profound radical scholar.

Vladimir Akimov on the Dilemmas of Russian Marxism 1895-1903

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Author :
Publisher : CUP Archive
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 412 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Vladimir Akimov on the Dilemmas of Russian Marxism 1895-1903 by : Vladimir Akimov

Download or read book Vladimir Akimov on the Dilemmas of Russian Marxism 1895-1903 written by Vladimir Akimov and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1969 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Forty-Year War in Afghanistan

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Publisher : Verso Books
ISBN 13 : 1839768177
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (397 download)

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Book Synopsis The Forty-Year War in Afghanistan by : Tariq Ali

Download or read book The Forty-Year War in Afghanistan written by Tariq Ali and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The occupation of Afghanistan is over, and a balance sheet can be drawn. These essays on war and peace in the region reveal Tariq Ali at his sharpest and most prescient. Rarely has there been such an enthusiastic display of international unity as that which greeted the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Compared to Iraq, Afghanistan became the “good war.” But a stalemate ensued, and the Taliban waited out the NATO contingents. Today, with the collapse of the puppet regime in Kabul, what does the future hold for a traumatised Afghan people? Will China become the dominant influence in the country? Tariq Ali has been following the wars in Afghanistan for forty years. He opposed Soviet military interven- tion in 1979, predicting disaster. He was also a fierce critic of its NATO sequel, Operation Enduring Freedom. In a series of trenchant commentaries, he has described the tragedies inflicted on Afghanistan, as well as the semi-Talibanisation and militarisation of neighbouring Pakistan. Most of his predictions have proved accurate. The Forty-Year War in Afghanistan: A Chronicle Foretold brings together the best of his writings and includes a new introduction.

The Bolsheviks and the National Question, 1917–23

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 0230377378
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (33 download)

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Book Synopsis The Bolsheviks and the National Question, 1917–23 by : J. Smith

Download or read book The Bolsheviks and the National Question, 1917–23 written by J. Smith and published by Springer. This book was released on 1999-01-13 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a timely re-examination of the origins of the system which fell apart so dramatically in 1991, this book deals with the policies of the Soviets towards the non-Russian nationalities of the former Russian Empire. Making extensive use of previously unavailable material from the Soviet archives, Jeremy Smith explores the attempts of the Bolsheviks to promote the development of minority nationalities in the Soviet context, through a combination of political, cultural and educational measures, and looks at the disputes surrounding the creation of the Soviet Union.

October

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Publisher : Verso Books
ISBN 13 : 1784782785
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (847 download)

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Book Synopsis October by : China Miéville

Download or read book October written by China Miéville and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2018-05-22 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Multi-award-winning author China Miéville captures the drama of the Russian Revolution in this “engaging retelling of the events that rocked the foundations of the twentieth century” (Village Voice) In February of 1917 Russia was a backwards, autocratic monarchy, mired in an unpopular war; by October, after not one but two revolutions, it had become the world’s first workers’ state, straining to be at the vanguard of global revolution. How did this unimaginable transformation take place? In a panoramic sweep, stretching from St. Petersburg and Moscow to the remotest villages of a sprawling empire, Miéville uncovers the catastrophes, intrigues and inspirations of 1917, in all their passion, drama and strangeness. Intervening in long-standing historical debates, but told with the reader new to the topic especially in mind, here is a breathtaking story of humanity at its greatest and most desperate; of a turning point for civilization that still resonates loudly today.

Autocracy, Modernization, and Revolution in Russia and Iran

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400861624
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Autocracy, Modernization, and Revolution in Russia and Iran by : Tim McDaniel

Download or read book Autocracy, Modernization, and Revolution in Russia and Iran written by Tim McDaniel and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What did the Russian revolution of 1917 and the Iranian revolution of 1978-1979 share besides their drama? How can we compare a revolution led by Lenin with one inspired by Khomeini? How is a revolution based primarily on the urban working class similar to one founded to a significant degree on traditional groups like the bazaaris, small craftsmen, and religious students and preachers? Identifying a distinctive route to modernity--autocratic modernization--Tim McDaniel explores the dilemmas inherent in the efforts of autocratic monarchies in Russia and Iran to transform their countries into modern industrial societies. Originally published in 1991. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

I Heard Lenin Laugh

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Author :
Publisher : MacMillan
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis I Heard Lenin Laugh by : Martin Sixsmith

Download or read book I Heard Lenin Laugh written by Martin Sixsmith and published by MacMillan. This book was released on 2006 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hello. And pleasure to meet you. My name Yevgeny. Yevgeny, yes. But my friends they call me Zhenya. Now, where was I born? In Vitebsk. You want know about Vitebsk? OK. Start thinking about famous painter, Marc Chagall. Now you see Vitebsk: it got cows flying over roofs of houses playing violins and green sheep smiling very large. Alright, only joking. In the looking glass world of the old Soviet reality, the future is certain. But the past is unpredictable and the truth a negotiable commodity. Into this changeable environment comes young Zhenya Gorevich, struggling to embrace a supposed Communist utopia. When his mother confesses the unlikely secret of his parentage, he determines to escape Russia and find his long-lost father. His impossible quest will take him from provincial Vitebsk to Moscow and beyond, as he tries desperately to find a way to get to swinging London and reclaim his noble birthright. Culminating with the 1966 World Cup in England, Martin Sixsmith has written a playful, yet strikingly poignant story of one man’s life journey combining the classic tradition of Russian satire with his own wry humour.

Uprising in Pakistan

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Author :
Publisher : Verso Books
ISBN 13 : 1786635380
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (866 download)

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Book Synopsis Uprising in Pakistan by : Tariq Ali

Download or read book Uprising in Pakistan written by Tariq Ali and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2018-05-22 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of what happened in 1968 in Pakistan is often forgotten, but is yet another proof that the revolutionary moment was global. In that year, following a long period of tumult, a radical coalition - led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - brought down the military presidency of Ayub Khan. Students took on the state apparatus of a corrupt and decaying military dictatorship backed by the US. They were joined by workers, lawyers, white-collar employees, and despite the severe repression, they took hold of power. Through a series of strikes, demonstrations and political organising a popular uprising was born. In his riveting account of these events, first written in 1970, Tariq Ali offers an eyewitness perspective on history, showing that this powerful popular movement was the only successful moment of the 1960s revolutionary wave. The victory led to the very first democratic election in the country and the unexpected birth of a new state, Bangladesh.

Dilemmas of Victory

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Author :
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674725220
Total Pages : 490 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (747 download)

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Book Synopsis Dilemmas of Victory by : Jeremy Brown

Download or read book Dilemmas of Victory written by Jeremy Brown and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2012-11-26 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This illuminating work examines the social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions of the Communist takeover of China. Instead of dwelling on elite politics and policy-making processes, Dilemmas of Victory seeks to understand how the 1949-1953 period was experienced by various groups, including industrialists, filmmakers, ethnic minorities, educators, rural midwives, philanthropists, stand-up comics, and scientists. A stellar group of authors that includes Frederic Wakeman, Elizabeth Perry, Sherman Cochran, Perry Link, Joseph Esherick, and Chen Jian shows that the Communists sometimes achieved a remarkably smooth takeover, yet at other times appeared shockingly incompetent. Shanghai and Beijing experienced it in ways that differed dramatically from Xinjiang, Tibet, and Dalian. Out of necessity, the new regime often showed restraint and flexibility, courting the influential and educated. Furthermore, many policies of the old Nationalist regime were quietly embraced by the new Communist rulers. Based on previously unseen archival documents as well as oral histories, these lively, readable essays provide the fullest picture to date of the early years of the People's Republic, which were far more pluralistic, diverse, and hopeful than the Maoist decades that followed.

Lenin on the Train

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Author :
Publisher : Metropolitan Books
ISBN 13 : 1627793011
Total Pages : 385 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (277 download)

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Book Synopsis Lenin on the Train by : Catherine Merridale

Download or read book Lenin on the Train written by Catherine Merridale and published by Metropolitan Books. This book was released on 2017-03-28 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A gripping, meticulously researched account of Lenin's fateful rail journey from Zurich to Petrograd, where he ignited the Russian Revolution and forever changed the world. In April 1917, as the Russian Tsar Nicholas II's abdication sent shockwaves across war-torn Europe, the future leader of the Bolshevik revolution Vladimir Lenin was far away, exiled in Zurich. When the news reached him, Lenin immediately resolved to return to Petrograd and lead the revolt. But to get there, he would have to cross Germany, which meant accepting help from the deadliest of Russia's adversaries. Germany saw an opportunity to further destabilize Russia by allowing Lenin and his small group of revolutionaries to return. Now, drawing on a dazzling array of sources and never-before-seen archival material, renowned historian Catherine Merridale provides a riveting, nuanced account of this enormously consequential journey--the train ride that changed the world--as well as the underground conspiracy and subterfuge that went into making it happen. Writing with the same insight and formidable intelligence that distinguished her earlier works, she brings to life a world of counter-espionage and intrigue, wartime desperation, illicit finance, and misguided utopianism. This was the moment when the Russian Revolution became Soviet, the genesis of a system of tyranny and faith that changed the course of Russia's history forever and transformed the international political climate"--

Yeltsin

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Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0786732121
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (867 download)

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Book Synopsis Yeltsin by : Timothy J Colton

Download or read book Yeltsin written by Timothy J Colton and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2008-04-08 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even after his death in April 2007, Boris Yeltsin remains the most controversial figure in recent Russian history. Although Mikhail Gorbachev presided over the decline of the Communist party and the withdrawal of Soviet control over eastern Europe, it was Yeltsin-Russia's first elected president-who buried the Soviet Union itself. Upon taking office, Yeltsin quickly embarked on a sweeping makeover of newly democratic Russia, beginning with a program of excruciatingly painful market reforms that earned him wide acclaim in the West and deep recrimination from many Russian citizens. In this, the first biography of Yeltsin's entire life, Soviet scholar Timothy Colton traces Yeltsin's development from a peasant boy in the Urals to a Communist party apparatchik, and then ultimately to a nemesis of the Soviet order. Based on unprecedented interviews with Yeltsin himself as well as scores of other Soviet officials, journalists, and businessmen, Colton explains how and why Yeltsin broke with single-party rule and launched his drive to replace it with democracy. Yeltsin's colossal attempt to bring democracy to Russia remains one of the great, unfinished stories of our time. As anti-Western policies and rhetoric resurface in Putin's increasingly bellicose Russia, Yeltsin offers essential insights into the past, present, and future of this vast and troubled nation.