Vladimir Burtsev and the Struggle for a Free Russia: A Revolutionary in the Time of Tsarism and Bolshevism

Description

Vladimir Burtsev and the Struggle for a Free Russia examines the life of the journalist, historian and revolutionary, Vladimir Burtsev. The book analyses his struggle to help liberate the Russian people from tsarist oppression in the latter half of the 19th century before going on to discuss his opposition to Bolshevism following the Russian Revolution of 1917. Robert Henderson traces Burtsev's political development during this time and explores his movements in Paris and London at different stages in an absorbing account of an extraordinary life. At all times Vladimir Burtsev and the Struggle for Free Russia sets Burtsev's life in the wider context of Russian and European history of the period. It uses Burtsev as a means to discuss topics such as European police collaboration, European prison systems, international diplomatic relations of the time and Russia's relationship with Europe specifically. Extensive original archival research and previously untranslated Russian source material is also incorporated throughout the text. This is an important study for all historians of modern Russia and the Russian Revolution.

Robert Henderson is Honorary Research Associate at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. He is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters in the field of Russian history.

Henderson's unapologetic treatment of Burtsev contributes to our awareness of global revolutionary networks in the early twentieth century. * The Journal of Modern History * Henderson's unique volume about the perennial revolutionary Vladimir L. Burtsev (1862-1942) is superlative because he uses his extraordinary research skills to cull Russian and foreign archives to trace Burtsev's efforts against tsarism, Alexander Kerensky, Bolshevism (Lenin/Trotsky) and, finally, Hitler and anti-Semitism ... Henderson (Queen Mary, Univ. of London) is to be commended for his serious scholarship in bringing to life a formidable revolutionary who, whether targeting tsarist or Bolshevik opponents, proved a worthy and effective adversary. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. * CHOICE * A truly impressive work of original and seminal scholarship, Vladimir Burtsev and the Struggle for a Free Russia is a critically important study that will be appreciated by all historians of modern Russia and the Russian Revolution upon which it is based ... [An] unreservedly recommended addition to college and university library Russian History and Russian Biography collections. * Midwest Book Review * Henderson's book sets a very high standard, it reminds scholars that not only is it possible to write important and captivating histories about lesserknown subjects but that it is necessary. Excellent notes and bibliography make this a valuable book for specialists in Russian history, but anyone interested in historical biographies in general will find this study extremely informative and stimulating. * European History Quarterly * Henderson has carried out an impressive amount of research in secondary sources, published primary sources, and archives in France, the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Russia (including Tatarstan). * The Russian Review * Robert Henderson's biography of Vladimir Burtsev is, quite simply, superb. The research is excellent and the writing is splendid. In Henderson's skilled hands, the story of Burtsev - revolutionary, detective, and freedom-fighter - is in turn chilling, comic, and tragic, but always compelling. Henderson gives us new insight into the history of the Russian revolutionary movement and the machinations of the tsarist and Soviet secret police. This book deserves a wide audience. Once started, it is difficult to put down. * Richard G. Robbins, Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexico, USA * Vladimir Burtsev is one of the unsung heroes of the anti-tsarist revolutionary movement - a man who did more than anyone else to expose police informers to the light of day. Robert Henderson has performed a service for historical scholarship. * Robert Service, Professor Emeritus of Russian History, University of Oxford, UK * This portrayal of the radical milieu among emigre Russians adds up to an excellent political study of the Russian revolution abroad, especially in London. At times the story has the suspense and complexity of the Victorian crime novel. This is a superb piece of original research and a readable and stimulating book. * Christopher Read, Professor of Modern European History, University of Warwick, UK * Vladimir Burtsev and the Struggle for a Free Russia is the first comprehensive biography of the fascinating and profoundly naive Russian that Burtsev was. It offers an insight into the murky world of terrorism, state security, media (ab)use and (post-)truth around 1900, and as such raises the question, whether history repeats itself, or whether we can learn from history. Henderson's book won't give you the final answer to these questions, but will offer you a broader perspective, on the past, as well as on the present. * Wim Coudneys, Professor of Russian and European History and Culture, University of Leuven, Belgium * This is a superb and wide-ranging book that deserves an equally wide readership. There is something for everyone in it, since it can be read both as a conventional historical biography and in terms of the various discreet topics upon which it touches. It should be read by all those interested in the history of late-imperial Russia, but will be especially valuable for students of the revolutionary movement and emigration. * Slavonic and East European Review *