audiobook The Russian Civil War by Evan Mawdsley in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good but DryBy Thomas ReiterThis is a good; but not excellent account of the Russian Civil War. The author does a good job of describing the chaotic campaigns; along with the strengths and weaknesses of the Reds and the White; and some of the personalities involved. The book covers not only the purely military aspects of the Civil War; but also; the decisive economic; political; and diplomatic developments during the war.I've given the books four stars instead of five because it is a rather dry read; and because the maps are completely unreadable on a kindle device (in fairness; presumably they would be adequate in a paper version); although even then the maps are collected together at the end of the book rather than placed closer to the relevant portions of the text.Generally a recommended book about a complex and not especially well-covered topic.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Significant Book on the Russian Civil WarBy Brian Wayne WellsEven when I was an undergraduate in the late 1960s; Russian History was a source of interest to me. However; I have only recently; in retirement; been able to return to this interesting area of study. I have very pleasantly surprised by the wealth of new material and published books that are now available on specific topics like the Russian Civil.I enjoyed the book listing five individual military operations by the White forces which were the most dramatic and threatening to the young Bolshevik government. These five operations were: 1.) the Volga Campaign of September of 1918 which came out of Siberia and resulted in the capture of the city of Kazan; 2.) the campaign around the city of Ufa carried out by Admiral Kolchak in the spring of 1919; 3.) General Denikin's offensive from the south in May and June of 1919; 4.) Denikin's offensive from the south in September and October of 1919; and 5.) the Polish invasion of Russia from the west from April until October of 1920. Breaking down the entire Civil War into these five dramatic operations was extremely helpful to me as I read other books on the Civil War.49 of 49 people found the following review helpful. Best short history of Russian Civil WarBy Victor A. VyssotskyAmong the innumerable books and essays on the Russian Civil War; this is by far the best book to start with. It's reasonably short; very readable; has helpful maps; and an excellent bibliography. It's one of the few books to present a coherent; unified account of an extremely complex and messy historical episode. Best of all; Mawdsley; who is (or at least was until recently) a professional historian at the University of Glasgow; writes his book without basing it on any particular political viewpoint; whereas the great majority of books on the Russian Civil War have an axe to grind. In order to keep the book readable and reasonably short; Mawdsley omits a great deal of important information; for the reader who wants to delve further; Volume Two of William Henry Chamberlin's `The Russian Revolution; 1917 - 1921' originally published in 1934; is still the book to read next after Mawdsley.Unfortunately; Mawdsley's book is out of print and seems to be hard to come by. However; a determined book search can locate a copy; or of course your local library can get a copy on interlibrary loan. I wish it was back in print.