A New History

Samenvatting

At the turn of the century, the Russian economy was growing and its population had reached 150 million. By 1920 the country was in desperate financial straits and more than 20 million Russians had died. By 1950, a third of the globe had embraced communism. The triumph of Communism sets a profound puzzle. How did the Bolsheviks win power and then keep it amid the chaos? Analysing never before used files from the Tsarist military archives, McMeekin argues that war is the answer.