Stillborn Crusade: The Tragic Failure of Western Intervention in the Russian Civ

Description: Stillborn Crusade by Ilya Somin The triumph of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War was the first great crack in the system of international relations established by the victorious Allies FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description The triumph of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War was the first great crack in the system of international relations established by the victorious Allies. The presence of a powerful anti-Western Soviet regime not only undermined the liberal values binding the signatories and member states of the Versailles Treaty and the League of Nations, but also helped to stimulate the rise of aggressive fascist dictatorships in Germany and Italy. Consequently, the failure of the Allies to intervene effectively against the Bolsheviks helped pave the way for both World War II and the human catastrophe of Soviet totalitarianism. Stillborn Crusade is a reinterpretation of the causes and consequences of that failure.In sharp contrast with previous researchers, Ilya Somin argues that the Wests failure resulted not from constraints limiting the options of policymakers, but from ideological misconceptions, particularly those flowing from the "liberal" and "realist" theories of international politics. The liberal view, based on the right of national self-determination, was espoused by Woodrow Wilson, and David Lloyd George. While unsympathetic to Bolshevism, they remained wedded to preconceived ideas on revolution, intervention, and the efficacy of force. The realists thought that the opposing Whites might constitute a greater threat to Western interests; they discounted the role of ideology in Soviet foreign policy. Against these views, Somin sets the position of Winston Churchill, who repeatedly and unsuccessfully urged decisive action when the Soviet regime was militarily vulnerable. As a consequence of British and American policy failures, the entire course of European and world history was radically altered for the worse.Stillborn Crusade also considers why earlier scholars, most notably George F. Kennan and William Appleman Williams, have ignored the issues raised here, even though they and others have not hesitated to criticize Western leaders for similar errors in other instances, especially in the case of Nazi Germany. Somin links the errors of 1918-20 to broader issues relating to the morality, feasibility, and desirability of Western, especially American, intervention in foreign civil conflicts. As a volume with important lessons for our own time, Stillborn Crusade will be of interest to historians, political scientists, and foreign policy analysts. Author Biography Ilya Somin is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Government at Harvard University. He has conducted research projects on welfare policy, budget and tax issues, and the late stages of the cold war at the Heritage Foundation. Born in 1973 in Leningrad, Somin emigrated to the United States in 1979. This is his first book. Table of Contents Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. The Development of British Policy 3. "Why Not Save Siberia?" The Development of US Policy 4. The Whites Reconsidered 5. Lost Triumphs: The Possibilities of Intervention Epilogue: Conclusions and Implications Bibliography Index Review -Somins cogently argued polemic asserts that the Allied failure to intervene decisively against Bolshevism in 1918-19 doomed Russia and the world to at least 50,000,000 needless deaths... [W]ell written, absorbing, and provocative. All levels.- --D. MacKenzie, Choice -A thoughtful and impressive piece of work. . . . [T]hought stretching and bravely takes a position that generations of Sovietologists have ignored.- --Canadian Slavonic Papers -Stillborn Crusade is a highly original and thought-provoking interpretation of the failed Western intervention in the Russian Civil War. . . . It is a study that is also relevant to the current disputes about the morality of American intervention in various parts of the world.- --Paul Hollander, University of Massachusetts, Amherst"Somins cogently argued polemic asserts that the Allied failure to intervene decisively against Bolshevism in 1918-19 doomed Russia and the world to at least 50,000,000 needless deaths... [W]ell written, absorbing, and provocative. All levels." --D. MacKenzie, Choice "A thoughtful and impressive piece of work. . . . [T]hought stretching and bravely takes a position that generations of Sovietologists have ignored." --Canadian Slavonic Papers "Stillborn Crusade is a highly original and thought-provoking interpretation of the failed Western intervention in the Russian Civil War. . . . It is a study that is also relevant to the current disputes about the morality of American intervention in various parts of the world." --Paul Hollander, University of Massachusetts, Amherst"Somins cogently argued polemic asserts that the Allied failure to intervene decisively against Bolshevism in 1918-19 doomed Russia and the world to at least 50,000,000 needless deaths... [W]ell written, absorbing, and provocative. All levels." --D. MacKenzie, Choice "A thoughtful and impressive piece of work. . . . [T]hought stretching and bravely takes a position that generations of Sovietologists have ignored." --Canadian Slavonic Papers "Stillborn Crusade is a highly original and thought-provoking interpretation of the failed Western intervention in the Russian Civil War. . . . It is a study that is also relevant to the current disputes about the morality of American intervention in various parts of the world." --Paul Hollander, University of Massachusetts, Amherst "Somins cogently argued polemic asserts that the Allied failure to intervene decisively against Bolshevism in 1918-19 doomed Russia and the world to at least 50,000,000 needless deaths... [W]ell written, absorbing, and provocative. All levels." --D. MacKenzie, Choice Review Text "Somins cogently argued polemic asserts that the Allied failure to intervene decisively against Bolshevism in 1918-19 doomed Russia and the world to at least 50,000,000 needless deaths... [W]ell written, absorbing, and provocative. All levels." --D. MacKenzie, Choice "A thoughtful and impressive piece of work. . . . [T]hought stretching and bravely takes a position that generations of Sovietologists have ignored." --Canadian Slavonic Papers "Stillborn Crusade is a highly original and thought-provoking interpretation of the failed Western intervention in the Russian Civil War. . . . It is a study that is also relevant to the current disputes about the morality of American intervention in various parts of the world." --Paul Hollander, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Details ISBN1560002743 Author Ilya Somin Short Title STILLBORN CRUSADE Language English ISBN-10 1560002743 ISBN-13 9781560002741 Media Book Format Hardcover Year 1996 DOI 10.1604/9781560002741 UK Release Date 1996-08-31 AU Release Date 1996-08-31 NZ Release Date 1996-08-31 Pages 246 Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc Publication Date 1996-08-31 Subtitle The Tragic Failure of Western Intervention in the Russian Civil War 1918–1920 Alternative 9781138515017 DEWEY 327.47 Audience Undergraduate Imprint Routledge Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States US Release Date 1996-08-31 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:134475622;

Price: 413.96 AUD

Location: Melbourne

End Time: 2025-02-06T02:49:43.000Z

Shipping Cost: 11.44 AUD