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Werken van Stephen Anthony Smith

The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (2002) — Auteur — 311 exemplaren
Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis, 1890 to 1928 (2017) — Auteur — 116 exemplaren
Red Petrograd: Revolution in the Factories, 1917-1918 (1983) — Auteur — 22 exemplaren
Saint Herman of Alaska (2002) — Auteur — 12 exemplaren

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Very informative. Also as dry as chalk that has been put in a dehumidifier, in a room that is being heated by electrical coils, in a house in the dryest, saltiest desert on the planet.

But very informative, and also, frankly, refreshing in its willingness to see that Lenin et al., weren't, you know, EVIL SATANIC MONSTERS COMING TO EAT YOUR CHILDREN, but might actually have been formed by the historical moment they lived in, as well as being moderately evil monsters, but no more or less evil than those they were fighting against in the first world war, or the civil war, and so on. For that alone, Smith's book can be recommended.

But dear god is this dry.
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stillatim | 2 andere besprekingen | Oct 23, 2020 |
La Revolución Rusa de 1917 transformó el rostro del imperio ruso desde el punto de vista político, económico, social y cultural, y también afectó profundamente el curso de la historia mundial durante el resto del siglo XX. Ahora, para conmemorar el centenario de este acontecimiento de época, el historiador Steve Smith presenta un relato panorámico de la historia del imperio ruso, desde los últimos años del siglo XIX, a través de la Primera Guerra Mundial y las revoluciones de 1917 y el establecimiento de la Bolchevique, hasta finales de los años veinte, cuando Stalin desató simultáneamente la colectivización violenta de la agricultura y la industrialización del choque sobre la sociedad rusa… (meer)
 
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BibliotecaUNED | 2 andere besprekingen | Oct 11, 2017 |
The Russian Revolution is an essential and seminal historical event that is crucial to understand in thinking about the twentieth century. A great historian (and admirer of the revolution) Eric Hobsbawm wrote that “if the ideas of the French revolution have, as is now evident, outlasted Bolshevism, the practical consequences of 1917 were far greater and more lasting than those of 1789”. Certainly the events in Russia were an important component in the massive disruption of the nineteenth century world during the years of the Great War. On a narrower scope than world history, they at least form the end of the Romanov dynasty, although it is possible to argue that Eric Hobsbawm’s proclamation of a massive change is overstated, and that Lenin became a “Red Tsar” with much continuity from the Russian Empire.
It has been surprising thus far in 2017 how little popular commemoration of the revolution has been seen in the form of documentaries and public discourse. Perhaps this will come later in the year, as of course the Russian Revolution had two phases, that in February (on the old Russian calendar) which saw the abdication of the Tsar, and that in October which brought the Bolsheviks to power. There has at least been a tide of history books on aspects of the period - [b:The Romanovs: 1613-1918|21094391|The Romanovs 1613-1918|Simon Sebag Montefiore|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435023227s/21094391.jpg|40453838] by Simon Sebag Montefiore (the full back story of the Russian autocratic dynasty), [b:Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs|28116769|Rasputin Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs|Douglas Smith|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1452550744s/28116769.jpg|48126441] by Douglas Smith (a biography of the legendary figure who lay behind much discontent with the old regime), [b:The Last of the Tsars: Nicholas II and the Russian Revolution|31437516|The Last of the Tsars Nicholas II and the Russian Revolution|Robert Service|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471082108s/31437516.jpg|52135162] by Robert Service (an examination of Nicholas in the last year of his life) and the reissue of Orlando Figes famous [b:A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924|38155|A People's Tragedy The Russian Revolution 1891-1924|Orlando Figes|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388197684s/38155.jpg|707285]. S A Smith is an Oxford University Professor with an interest in modern Russian and Chinese history, and in comparative Communist history. [b:Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis, 1890 to 1928|30235607|Russia in Revolution An Empire in Crisis, 1890 to 1928|S.A. Smith|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470937835s/30235607.jpg|50697066] is his contribution to the examination of the revolution. Smith has chosen to take a broader, contextual view of 1917. Instead of focussing chronologically on the events of 1917 his periodisation stretches from the late nineteenth century through to the eve of Stalin’s collectivisation. His brush is broad in other respects as well. Rather than focussing on the political elite, he has chosen an analytical approach looking at society, culture and economics as a whole. The benefits of this approach are a broad understanding of the enormous changes in Russia, the causes and immediate results of the Revolution and its effect on society. Smith provides a steady balanced tone which assesses the various historiographical interpretations and attempts to steer a moderate course. While the book may not provide the rich prose and deep examination of the events of the Revolution itself found in some books, it does provide the serious reader with a solid broad understanding of this pivotal period.
Some key questions are addressed - was the Revolution inevitable? What caused the Revolution? Was Bolshevism inevitable or could Russia have given birth to a liberal democracy? How did the Bolsheviks manage to maintain power against such significant opposition? Was it a real revolution, or was there more continuity?
In his conclusion, Smith assesses that he “has tried to offer an analysis that links human agency and the power of ideas to the deeper structuring forces of geopolitics, empire, economy, and culture.” This is an analysis that looks more to statistics, large societal changes and forces than to the personalities and decisions of individuals, and the power of events. This balance is difficult to achieve. It is important to look at society as a whole, and this book probably serves as a corrective to some of my biographical reading (such as [b:Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives|782319|Hitler and Stalin Parallel Lives|Alan Bullock|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320462970s/782319.jpg|768334]) which might overinflate the importance of the machinations of the Comintern, and the politicking of the Bolshevik elite. Smith de-emphasizes events as well. The course of the events of the Revolution only occupy one out of seven chapters. There can be no doubt however that personalities were still critical. Lenin’s insight of the importance of stopping the war, and his confidence to throw out the Provisional Government in a coup were absolutely central. Smith could have spent a bit more time on Lenin, but as with most things he steers a careful course, and does pay some heed to his importance.
His view of the Revolution is summarised as that “the collapse of the tsarist regime in February 1917 was ultimately rooted in a systemic crisis brought about by economic and social modernization, a crisis that was massively exacerbated by the First World War”. The October coup didn’t overturn a budding liberal democracy - “the Provisional Government had expired even before the Bolsheviks finished it off.” It had failed to recognise the key causes of the Revolution in the first place, leaving much of the old elite in place and more importantly failing to appreciate how crucial “peace and bread” were, a mistake the Bolsheviks did not make thanks to Lenin.
The brutality of the Civil War is astonishing, and the antisemitism vicious. Smith describes how “the civil war inspired a massacre of Jews on a ghastly, historically unprecedented scale, with the loss of between 50,000 and 200,000 lives. Another 200,000 Jews were injured and thousands of women were raped.” Already in this period it was the army, rather than the proletariat which was pushing forward the revolution. Although the hated Tsarist secret police were abolished, the Bolshevik’s quickly instituted the brutal Cheka. Smith analyses the way that to ensure the survival of the regime Lenin from the beginning used authoritarian techniques. “By March 1919, Lenin could declare that soviet rule was rule for the proletariat rather than by it.”
The years of NEP (New Economic Policy) following the Civil War are dealt with extensively, especially the economics and social impact. This is a fascinating period, one with constant conflict between the reintroduction of market mechanisms and the desire to intervene. Smith assesses that “NEP society can by no stretch of the imagination be described as ‘liberal’ yet it was more pluralistic than the brutally conformist society that was to be inaugurated in 1928 with Stalin’s ‘Great Break’.”
This book may disappoint those who wish to read a narrative history, especially one focusing on the revolutionary events of 1917 itself. However as a well written, balanced and up to date interpretation of the changes which transformed Russia from an agrarian autocracy to a Utopian dictatorship on the verge of shock modernisation Steve Smith does an excellent job.
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bevok | 2 andere besprekingen | Jul 31, 2017 |
An excellent introduction to a subject I had only vague memories of from school history lessons. Clear, concise, and pretty comprehensive for a "very short" book. My one criticism is that there's a tendency to introduce people and terminology once, and then simply refer to them without explanation even if the previous mention was 30 pages back: evidently I don't have a good enough memory for names! The index is good, though, so it wasn't a serious problem.
 
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Intemerata | Apr 30, 2012 |

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