Description
Book SynopsisThe Soviet Union was created as uch by the Civil War as by the revolutions of 1917; indeed, the revolutions and hte struggle which followed them are inseparable. Perhaps communism in Russia would have evolved differently had the bitter necessities of the Civil War not force the regime to develop features which had nothing to do with the Marxist ideology. Aside from the obvious historical significance of the Civil War, it is also a subject with great intrinsic interest: modern European history provides no better example of anarchy and its effects on social institutions and on human beings. The approach which is followed her is tha of a case study. Extrapolating from one part of Russia to the entire country is perhaps the best way to become aware of the many different issues that were at stake and of the difficulty in reducing the problems of the Civil War to simple formulae. South Russia is of special interest because it is a microcosm in which one can see most of the ills of Russia and