"Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921" by Antony Beevor is a monumental account of one of the most tumultuous periods in world history. Beevor delivers a gripping narrative that vividly captures the chaos and upheaval that engulfed Russia in the aftermath of the Tsarist empire's collapse.

The book meticulously chronicles the brutal struggle between the White alliance and Trotsky's Red Army. Beevor skillfully illuminates the experiences of individuals from all walks of life – from workers on the streets of Petrograd to cavalry officers on the battlefield and doctors in improvised hospitals.

Moreover, the book sheds light on the global dimensions of the Russian Revolution and Civil War, illustrating how it became a world war by proxy with interventions from Britain, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. The book underscores the far-reaching impact of the conflict, setting the stage for the rest of the twentieth century and shaping the course of Eastern Europe.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Many many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. First off, the writing is spectacular which will not surprise anyone. Understanding Russia and its long difficult history should be required reading. This would make an excellent addition to any history collection. This is so well done. The reader should be committed, this is not a novel. And the author does focus on the military. Highly recommended.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- Viking for an advanced copy of this history on the Russian revolution and its reverberations throughout the twentieth century.

Revolution, it can be said, has many parents, who revolt for as many reasons are people become parents, it seems right, it is expected, religion, faith, and morals demand it, controlling others another. Many are lost to time, either their acts forgotten or not reported, others erased from the record as history is written by the winners, who decide those that should be acclaimed, and those who should be dispossessed. The revolution toppling the Tsarist regime has many leaders, and many ways of both failing and succeeding. Antony Beevor, chronicler of many of the wars and battles of this century writes of one of the most seismic events in world history, the Russian Revolution in his book Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921.

By 1917 the Tsar's power in Russia, after a lengthy rein was teetering on the head of a very small pin. Trusted generals, other royals, ambassadors from various nations were telling the tsar, that he should give up power to the Duma, the Russian assembly, an retire, possibly even go into exile. Troops had no interest in dying at the front, fighting the Germans in the First World War, and were a a danger to their own officers, more than the enemy. Cossacks, known for the ferocity of their attacks on peasants and civilians, seemed not to care about the rulers, and discussed outright regime change. People in cafes discussed the same, in uniform or in civilian clothes. The time for revolt was ripe and when it happened, it was bloody. Soon the Tsar was removed, protected with his family or a prisoner depending on reports. Soon the real battle began between Reds and Whites for the soul of the country, with Europe and America lending material and troops in almost a new front for the rapidly expanding World War.

A very good, very readable history about a very dramatic, and still to this day confusing revolution. Beevor is very gifted writer able to communicate about difficult subjects, economics, troop movements, allegiances and make them understandable and even more important worth reading. The research is of course solid, with new information and sources not used before discussed in the work. What amazed me most about the book, was the amount of lives lost, an astonishing number that I don't think ever gets discussed enough. Also the fact that so many hinge moments in history happened here, moments that one way or an another would have changed history even more dramatically then it had. Beevor is again very good at sharing both these moments.

A very good history about a subject that is still very important. One that most people don't know or understand. Antony Beevor is a very good writer, whose books I follow and read not just to learn something, but because he is a very good author with a great skill at making history relevant, important and most of all interesting. Highly recommended.