130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Happy Long Weekend! We're open all 3 days! πŸ“š Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

The Russian Revolution

A New History
3.92 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 1,127 ratings, 129 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Russian Revolution by Sean McMeekin offers a fresh perspective on the events leading up to and during the 1917 Russian Revolution. McMeekin delves into the political and social dynamics that fuelled the revolution, examining the key figures, both domestic and international, who influenced its outcome. The book presents an insightful narrative that reconsiders the revolutionary period's geopolitical dimensions.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3400
Elsewhere:
$3699
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're intrigued by the upheaval of the Russian Revolution, offering a fresh perspective that challenges conventional interpretations. It provides a thorough exploration of complex political dynamics and international influences, making it a compelling read for those interested in history and military strategy.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Now in paperback, the first major new history of the Russian Revolution in a decade combines cutting-edge scholarship and a fast-paced narrative to shed new light on a great turning point of the twentieth century.

The first major new history of the Russian Revolution in a decade combines cutting-edge scholarship and a fast-paced narrative to shed new light on a great turning point of the twentieth century

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

At the turn of the century, the Russian economy was growing by about 10% annually 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 cling to it amid the chaos they had created? Traditional histories remain a captive to Marxist ideas about class struggle.

Analysing never before used files from the Tsarist military archives, McMeekin argues that war is the answer. The revolutionaries were aided at nearly every step by Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland, who sought to benefitβ€”politically and economicallyβ€”from the changes overtaking the country.

To make sense of Russia's careening path, the essential question is not Lenin's "who, whom?", but who benefits?

The Russian Revolution by Sean McMeekin offers a fresh perspective on these pivotal events, revealing the complex interplay of international forces that shaped the course of history.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781781259030

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 May 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Profile Books Ltd

Edition: Main

Illustration: 16 page black and white photo plate section

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 341g

Pages: 496

About the Author

Sean McMeekin is Professor of History at Bard College, New York. For some years he taught at Bilkent University, Istanbul. His books include the highly successful The Berlin-Baghdad Express (Penguin), The Russian Origins of the First World War and July 1914 (Icon).

Also by Sean McMeekin

View all
  • On Sale
    20% off
    Stalin's War
    A ground-breaking history of the Second World War, told from the Soviet perspective. In this remarkable, ground-breaking new book, Sean McMeekin marks a generational shift in our view of Stalin as an ally in the Second World War. Stalin's only difference from Hitler, he argues, was that he was a successful murderous predator. With Hitler dead and the Third Reich...
    Paperback
    $4000
    Usually:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Ottoman Endgame
    Step into the turbulent and transformative final years of the Ottoman Empire with Sean McMeekin's The Ottoman Endgame, an extraordinary single-volume history that chronicles the epic struggle of a vast empire facing the winds of change during the early 20th century. This captivating narrative begins in September 1911 with Italy's audacious invasion of Ottoman Tripoli, setting off a series of...
    Paperback
    $3800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • History's Greatest Heist
    How Lenin’s regime turned Russia’s priceless cultural patrimony into armoured cars, trains, planes, and machine guns Historians have never resolved a central mystery of the Russian Revolution: how did the Bolsheviks, despite facing a world of enemies and leaving nothing but economic ruin in their path, manage to stay in power through five long years of civil war? In this...
    Hardback
    $24500
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • To Overthrow the World
    It is well worth reading. β€” Wall Street Journal A sweeping, unsparing history of the oppression meted out to billions of people by Communist regimes. β€” TLS Three decades since the Soviet Union’s collapse prompted Francis Fukuyama to proclaim the 'End of History', things look different. Russia may no longer be Communist, but Stalin is more admired there than at...
    Hardback
    $6999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from History & Military

View all
  • Behind Enemy Lines
    New Release
    Behind Enemy Lines
    Archie Gibson's initiation into desert warfare almost proved to be his last. Barrelling through the sand dunes at the wheel of his truck, Gibson spied a searing flash of light up ahead, the signature of a feared German 88mm gun firing ... right at him. He leapt from his speeding vehicle just before it was torn apart and turned into...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Cauldron
    How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING...
    Hardback
    $4999
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Saving Elli
    One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Spy and the Traitor
    The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    12% off
    The Wager
    THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian 'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator 'I cannot think of anyone who would not love this book... It is an extraordinary true story, beautifully...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Salt
    Homer called it a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates here, salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over salt and, while salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia, they...
    Paperback
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Discipline
    Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...
    Paperback
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    20% off
    The Golden Menhir
    Assurancetourix is entering the legendary Gallic bards' competition to win the golden menhir. But with the Romans keeping a close watch, Asterix and Obelix must protect him at all costs. Their mission? Keep him safe-no matter what... even if it means risking their own ears! First released as a book-disc in 1967, this adventure soon became a rare treasure, long...
    Hardback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Biological War
    New Release
    Biological War
    There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer. A blistering new non-fiction thriller from the Baillie Gifford shortlisted author of Nuclear War (200,000 copies sold). A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Chief and the Empire
    The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi - the first influential Māori leader to cross the Tasman - whose curiosity about the Pākehā world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own. On a visit to Sydney in 1805, Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity, building close...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.