From International Socialism (1st series), No.9, Summer 1962, p.31.
Thanks to Ted Crawford & the late Will Fancy.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Marxists’ Internet Archive.
Soviet Affairs. Number Three
St. Anthony’s Papers
Chatto and Windus, 18s.
This book, like the former two in the series, is mainly for the specialist. The most useful section is the essay dealing with the state of the Soviet Army before 1941: it shows how Soviet historians followed Krushchev in putting the main responsibility for the weakness of Russia at the time on Stalin and his mass purges.
The study on Russian revolutionary groups in the 1880’s suffers from a plethora of particulars – names, etc. – with hardly any information on the ideas and programmes of these groups.
Other essays deal with the assassination of the German Ambassador to Moscow, Count Mirbach, in July 1918; the unsuccessful efforts of agents of the German Government to get into contact with the Bolshevik Party before Lenin’s journey in the sealed train; and lastly an essay dealing with some aspects of youth employment in Soviet towns in the 1950’s.
Within its limits this is a useful book.
Last updated on 19 March 2010