Peace In Their Time

Episode 99 - Odds and Ends and Miseries

The consequences of winning the Civil War at any cost came back to haunt the Bolsheviks, as it turned out the "any cost" meant millions of people starving to death in a gigantic famine. Agriculture was in ruins throughout Russia, and only the intervention of an unlikely ally prevented the problem from being worse. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 98 - Policy Change

Just because the Civil War was over didn't the misery ended. With the Whites gone, all the non-Bolsheviks who had been tolerating Lenin's government and its excesses decided it was time to turn against it. Revolt and revolution spread across the country yet again, threatening to end the Communist regime right after all its military victories. 

 

Just as the Russian Civil War appeared to be winding down, a reborn Poland decided to make a play for some open land and invaded Soviet Russia. While the ensuing war would be an opportunity for the Bolsheviks to march on Europe, getting past the Poles proved easier said than done. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 97 - Bolshevik Terminus

Just as the Russian Civil War appeared to be winding down, a reborn Poland decided to make a play for some open land and invaded Soviet Russia. While the ensuing war would be an opportunity for the Bolsheviks to march on Europe, getting past the Poles proved easier said than done. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 96 - The Terror

During the Civil War, threats to the Revolution weren't just coming from the battlefield. The Bolsheviks very quickly realized that internal enemies in areas they controlled were a danger, and built-up their version of the secret police, the Cheka, to counter those enemies. They got out of hand. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 95 - The New State

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was the Soviet Union. But the pressures of war convinced the Bolsheviks to step up their centralizing efforts, laying the groundwork for the Communist state that everyone would come to know and love. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 94 - Hangry

This week we turn away from the battlefield and more towards what life was like on the ground in Bolshevik Russia. Long story short, the war wasn't an easy one on the civilian side either. This week in particular I touch on the precariousness of the food supply, and the collapse of urban life. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 93 - Fate of the Revolution

The final White offensives kicked off as Denikin made his play on Moscow in summer 1919. While we all know the attacks wouldn't succeed, they came close enough to panic the Bolshevik leadership and stretch the Red Army to its limit.  

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 92 - House of Cards

The first attempt to bring the Bolsheviks down once and for all didn't go very well. Striking beyond its capabilities, Admiral Kolchak's White armies stalled out on the Volga. One determined Red Army counteroffensive later, and they were in a full retreat. The Siberian Whites, the biggest group of that faction and the one most supported by the Entente, fell apart like a... well, a house of cards. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 91 - The Gathering White Storm

The opening moves of the 1919 campaigns saw action all across Russia once again, but this year opened with the White faction in a far stronger position. With bases all around Russia secured, they began positioning for attacks to bring down the Bolsheviks once and for all. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 90 - White Siberia

Today I wrap up coverage of the Russian Civil War in 1918. Mostly I'll be talking about the total mess that was Siberia, but the mess that was Central Asia gets some attention too. 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com