Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926

This was a big war—or rather, it was a huge compendium of small and medium-sized wars—and consequently, this is a big book. Like all other volumes in the War series, though, it covers its subject very systematically. It begins with a list of acronyms and abbreviations, so that readers can follow the key institutional and organizational players, which were often not generally known by their full names (and in some cases are known better by their Russian titles and especially acronyms—a form regarded as revolutionary at the time and much favored by the Soviet government). The chronology that follows is more essential than ever in this volume, since it is extremely hard to keep track of so many different phases and locations of these diverse conflicts without knowing what happened where and when across the huge expanse of the former Russian Empire. Subsequently, the author’s introduction does a masterly job of bringing it all together, explaining the importance of the work, outlining the general tide of events and decisive encounters, and then weighing up just who won or lost the most, as well as seeking to establish that the conflicts under discussion began earlier and lasted longer than is normally supposed. But there is no doubt that the core of the book is the dictionary, with substantial entries on many hundreds of persons who played a significant role, on every side, as well as hundreds more entries covering the major political and military institutions and organizations of all the contending sides. Key events and campaigns of the wars are also included, as well as many reflective aspects of the subject (including, for example, the “Russian” Civil Wars’ portrayal in film and literature). Still, big as this book may be, there is much more that can be learned about the “Russian” Civil Wars, and the substantial bibliography, therefore directs readers to the best sources in a range of languages.

The writing of this huge book was clearly a labor of love on the part of the author, but even now he would admit that his work is not complete, for completeness might require something several times larger. Nevertheless, this is a most extraordinary work, obviously built on the author’s lifetime of research and study of his subject and his ruminations upon it. Some of that is related to teaching: Jonathan D. Smele is senior lecturer in modern European history at Queen Mary, University of London, where he has taught since 1992, following spells at the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen. In addition, he was for a decade the sole editor of the chief academic journal on his subject, Revolutionary Russia. Hardly the least of his previous achievements is that he has written or edited several major works on the Russian revolutions and civil wars, including a comprehensive annotated bibliography on the subject and a seminal monograph. Consequently, this Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916–1926 is the ideal place to seek both a broad and up-to-date view of an exceptionally complex series of overlapping conflicts and a very focused view of everything related to them.

Jon Woronoff

Series Editor

Acknowledgments

I first extend my thanks to three of the finest historians of the Russian revolutions and civil wars: Evan Mawdsley, Geoffrey Swain, and Jimmy White, all of the University of Glasgow. Each of them offered—vitally early—advice and assistance on this project, to its undoubted benefit. Of course, I accept responsibility for any errors—and in a book of this nature they are likely to be legion. I owe a great debt also to the series editor of this volume, Jon Woronoff, whose infinite patience I have taxed and tested all too often over the past decade. I am grateful also to my home department, at Queen Mary, University of London, for providing the sabbatical leave that allowed me to spend a year at home in Glasgow, just a few minutes’ walk from the magnificent collections on Russian and Soviet history of the university library.

Reader’s Note