Soviet Union

[Valerie]

The part of history everyone thinks about when someone mentions Russia, communism.

Even today there are a huge variety of books that depict this era, whether it's talking about the Gulag or Stalinistic attributes.

[[deleted user]]

When I was forming the group bookshelf I thought of including books on history. Essays, not fiction, as historical context help. I couldn't think of many, as I'm not an usual history-non fiction reader but please, if you know, feel free to include titles, or if you don't know how, give me the titles and I do it myself. I know there are tons of books about it, but as I haven't read I'd be glad to receive recommendations.

[Valerie]

Hm...I have a huge list of fiction works running through my head.

Child 44
The Red Scarf

But I was a little curious what non-fction works I've read that are amazing...however extremely sad.

Red Holocaust

[Amalie]

Hmm... didn't pay attention to this side though I got "Hot Snow" by Yuri Bondarev in my to-read shelf.

For more info check:
http://www.sovlit.com/hotsnow/

[Ian]

Valerie,
Thanks for pointing out "Red Holocaust", I'll check it out. May I suggest a book which seems similar, The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression. Also, The Hidden Russia: My Ten Years As A Slave Laborer is a great autobiography that reflects on the Soviet system, I believe it's an absolutely essential read if you can get your hands on it.

Radzinsky's Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia's Secret Archives reads like horror, drama, and at times dark comedy rolled into one great non-fiction portrait.

[MadgeUK]

When reading about Soviet Russia I think it is important to include books which support some aspects of communism, though not the gulags and horrible excesses of Stalinism etc., just the original ideals. Perhaps Ten Days that Shook the World by John Reed is useful here, particularly as it was written by an American.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Days-Shook-Wo...

Life in Tsarist Russia was not so wonderful either, especially for the serfs, and many Russian writers before the Revolution were influenced by writers like Karl Marx, including Tolstoy, so reading, say, Das Capital, could give an insight into come of the economic thinking which led up to the Revolution. There is an abridged version:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Days-Shook-Wo...

Lenin too is worth reading, particularly as he disagreed with Marx in his belief in a political 'vanguard' who 'would "educate" the masses and oppress the minority for the benefit of the majority, until class antagonisms and the very idea of the state withered away.' It is arguable that his ideas influenced Stalin far more than Marx:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Wor...

In Why Marx was Right Terry Eagleton puts forth a modern case for Marxism, arguing that what happened in Russia (and China) is a travesty of his ideas:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Wor...

[BC]

Madge,
I appreciate the attempt to provide a little balance, but I'm not entirely sure how well a book like "Das Kapital" helps anyone understand life in Tsarist Russia. Reading Lenin straight-up is also not something that many people will find terribly profitable.

There are some really good modern books about life around the Revolution. I recommend "A People's Tragedy" by Orlando Figes, which is a really good look at life before, during, and shortly after the Revolution. "The Soviet Experiment" by Richard Suny is a good overview of the entire Soviet period.

[MadgeUK]

I wasn't suggesting that Das Kapital or Lenin would help anyone understand life in Tsarist Russia but it might help people to understand the early socialist philosophy behind the revolution, which started long before 1917 and features in a number of books of the earlier period - in Anna Karenina for instance in the characters of Constantin and Nikolai Levin, in The Brothers Karamazov in the character of Ivan.

Marx was widely read in Russia after Das Kapital was published in Russian in 1872 and Plekhanov translated The Communist Manifesto in 1882, when it circulated illegally (and influenced Lenin). These ideas were circulating amongst the Russian (and European) intelligentsia at this time and the agricultural communes set up by Tolstoy were one of the products of them. Tolstoy warned that if social and political changes did not take place 'bloody revolution' was a likely outcome. He even wrote to Tsar Nicholas II criticising the violations of the natural rights of his subjects and offered a programme of reforms that would save his regime. Tolstoy was excommunicated by the Church in 1901 after he had written a second letter to Nicholas telling him that autocracy was an outmoded form of government, protesting against anti-semitic laws and against the revival of legislation allowing peasants to be flogged. He did not support the Revolution but he had many revolutionary 'communistic' ideas drawn from the writing of thinkers like Marx.

Marx is much criticised (especially by Americans) but few people bother to read what he really wrote or to separate Marxism from Soviet communism - which is what Eagleton is trying to do. Revisionist history is all very well but looking into the horses mouths can also be instructive. If people are going to decry Marxism they should at least read something of what he actually wrote IMO.

I have read Figes and found Interpreting the Russian Revolution an interesting analysis of the ideas which surrounded the revolutionaries. I agree that Suny presents a good, and balanced, overview.