John Reed

1919

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An eye-witness account of the Bolshevik takeover of the Russian Revolution. Perhaps too detailed for anything except reference, but fascinating as a counterpoint to the more accepted (and Bolshevik-defined) history of their rise as a steady, inevitable, unanimous undertaking by the people. Here there are disagreements, armed struggles, and dissent from within the workers' Soviets and unions.

It's also notable that there's (as far as I can tell) exactly one mention of Stalin, as People's Commissar for Nationalities, again underlining the degree of re-writing of history that took place later. Stalin is far from being a prominent individual, or even a serious leader in the early days of what became the Soviet Union, and his later ascendancy is entirely unheralded in his early actions.

3/5. Finished 01 January 2022.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)