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A review by hulaspots
The Russian Revolution: A New History by Sean McMeekin
3.0
While I did in general enjoy this book I often found it overwhelming in the sheer amount of names and places which were used which did not always seem to be entirely relevant. It is a blessing to find any kind of history book which is consise and focused, though obviously which a subject this big that will be impossible.
It did fall into what I usually find the bane of my existence in history books where it talks about countries and places in such broad terms you lose sense of the PEOPLE living through these situations in favor of the few biggest names. My favorite histories make me find understanding of what life was like but this often felt like a small group of men fucking around and finding out oh and also people were dying in the background.
In terms of the events it was certainly fascinating and horrific in equal measures. I still cannot get over the audacity of disarming during World War 1, and after fighting for the peasants, literally massacring them and forcing them into starvation, another sad reminder of how idealism often turns out when facing reality. There are many things I didn't know especially about the beginnings of an actual real world implementation of Communism. To this day we have yet to see the dream scenario play out for an entirely equal society, and this first revolutionary attempt was tragic, hopeful, corrupted, and ultimately, totally human. I have a book about Gulags I will be diving into next which I hope will illuminate the more personal side of things.
It did fall into what I usually find the bane of my existence in history books where it talks about countries and places in such broad terms you lose sense of the PEOPLE living through these situations in favor of the few biggest names. My favorite histories make me find understanding of what life was like but this often felt like a small group of men fucking around and finding out oh and also people were dying in the background.
In terms of the events it was certainly fascinating and horrific in equal measures. I still cannot get over the audacity of disarming during World War 1, and after fighting for the peasants, literally massacring them and forcing them into starvation, another sad reminder of how idealism often turns out when facing reality. There are many things I didn't know especially about the beginnings of an actual real world implementation of Communism. To this day we have yet to see the dream scenario play out for an entirely equal society, and this first revolutionary attempt was tragic, hopeful, corrupted, and ultimately, totally human. I have a book about Gulags I will be diving into next which I hope will illuminate the more personal side of things.