“A People’s Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution”, by Orlando Figes

923 pages, Viking, ISBN-13: 978-0670859160

Radical Leftists the world over seem to taken to heart the old maxim “you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs”, only substitute the word “omelet” with “revolution” and the word “eggs” with “people” and you get their worldview…and there haven’t been many bigger omelets than the Russian Revolution. Throughout A People’s Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution, author Orlando Figes explores many of the underlying components that made the Russian Revolution of 1917 possible: How did it occur? What factors helped the revolutionary movement take root in tsarist Russia? Can the Revolution trace its origins to one single person or event? Was the Revolution avoidable? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, what was the Russian Revolution’s most enduring impact and legacy? Figes begins his work by taking us back a good two decades before it began before bringing us up to Lenin’s death, about a decade afterward; the advantage of this perspective is that it gives the reader an historical context for the events that eventually brought down centuries of tsarist rule and raised up the Bolsheviks (the obvious disadvantage being that a certain amount of detail is unavoidably lost). Still, for a one-volume treatment of the subject, you can't go wrong with this book. Comprehensive and informed, it is a generally lively read, as history books go.

Using a “bottom-up” style analysis, Figes makes the point that the Russian Revolution was not an elite-driven event like most uprisings throughout the course of human history, but rather a true revolution of the people, one in which common, ordinary individuals revolted and systematically dismantled the social, political, and economic underpinnings of Tsarist Russia. Because the Russian revolutionaries understood the concept that power exists in numbers, Figes argues that many of the Bolsheviks turned to the Russian people as a means of inflicting greater damage on Tsar Nicholas II’s regime. According to Figes the Bolshevik revolution was an idealistic concept that was doomed to fail when applied by, and applied to, imperfect human beings; the result was the transformation of innocent idealism into totalitarian terror. This is, I think, giving too much credit – to say nothing of humanity – to the revolutionaries who directed the slaughter of all opposition. Be warned: if you are a committed commie then chances are you’ll find yourself opposing the tone of this book; if, however, you are a dedicated anticommunist I think that it will suit you better, but Figes sympathy towards the more genuinely committed communists will probably aggravate your intolerance. For all that Figes comes off about as fair and balanced as a thinking individual with the capacity for informed judgment can be.

Figes tries to balance the personalities, the politics and the events of the Revolution to bring it to life without sacrificing facts. It is a compelling period filled with fascinating characters: the Russian statesman and the first post-imperial prime minister of Russia, Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov; the Last Emperor of Russia, Czar Nicholas II; the Russian and Soviet writer and founder of the socialist realism, Alexei Maximovich Peshkov, better known by the alias Maxim Gorky; the “Mad Monk”, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin; the communist revolutionary, politician and political theorist, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known by the alias Lenin; the revolutionary, theorist and Soviet politician, Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known by the alias Leon Trotsky; the last non-Communist leader of Russia before 1989, Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky; and that’s just scratching the surface. With so many individuals taking a stand against the Tsarist government, traditional Russian society quickly imploded as the weakness of Nicholas II and his centralized government structure gave way to overwhelming rebellions and revolts driven by the Russian people. Figes, not quite agreeing with the Marxist/Hegelian view that men don’t make history, effectively shows the importance of the personalities of the Revolution’s cast of characters and how a different man in the same place at the same time could have easily changed everything; when millions of people rallied to the Bolshevik cause, Nicholas and his regime simply could not resist the popular front that emerged to challenge his rule, thus guaranteeing a seizure of power by the Communists.

As Figes goes to great pains to point out, however, this “movement of the people” did not result in positive changes for Russians: during the several decades that followed their seizure of power, the inchoate Communist regime implemented sweeping changes into Russian society that killed millions of people and resulted in the destruction of entire communities; thus, as the title of Figes’ book implies, the Russian Revolution was one of tragedy and loss, not victory and gain. Although it was a revolution truly born out of the participation, wishes, and desires of the Russian people themselves, it was a revolution that, ultimately, destroyed and consumed its own people in the end. The Russian Revolution was a catastrophic failure in that it exchanged a bad system of government for one that was far worse and evil than its predecessor; it was truly a “people’s tragedy” in that its origins and causes lie with the common people who made it possible for the Bolsheviks to usurp power and control away from the Tsar. A People’s Tragedy is essential reading to understand how and why the Soviet experiment degenerated into the nightmare. With so much talk lately about America’s turn towards socialism and the rising level of vitriolic and polarizing discontent with our government, Figes’ book offers unexpected contemporary insight into the dynamics of political and social change that should give us all pause. Even if we are condemned to repeat the past because we cannot remember it, at least we can be prepared.

“The Napoleon Options: Alternate Decisions of the Napoleonic Wars”, edited by Jonathan North

221 pages, Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal, ISBN-13: 978-1853673887

Another alternative history book, this one featuring Napoleon and his shenanigans across the length and breadth of Europe. Edited by Jonathan North, The Napoleon Options: Alternate Decisions of the Napoleonic Wars features everyone’s favorite diminutive Corsican and the myriad What Ifs? that surround his unlikely life and career as ten different authors paint ten different scenarios from the period 1796-1815 that could have been oh-so-different if only this or that had happened…or didn’t, as the case may be. Paddy Griffith examines a victorious French expedition to Ireland in 1796 and the subsequent peace that it brought to Europe; Charles S. Grant further studies the 1790s with a look at Bonaparte’s campaign in Egypt; Philip J. Haythornthwaite describes Junot’s victory in Portugal in 1808; John Gill looks at the manner in which the Austrians were defeated and how Napoleon came to dictate peace in Vienna; Digby Smith imagines the Battle of Borodino differently; Jonathan North describes the action on the road to Minsk where the French are victorious over the Russians; John Gallaher imagines 1813 turning out for the better for Napoleon; Peter Hofschroer examines what would have happened if Quatre Bras had been abandoned as Wellington had ordered; Andrew Uffindell continues the Waterloo theme where Wellington is defeated and forced to retire to the Forest of Soignes; John Elting reimagines Waterloo as well that turns out better for the L’empereur. Like all alternative history books, The Napoleon Options is certainly food for thought and each chapter will make you think about the events as they really happened (to assist in this, each author includes some notes about the reality of each event they describe). I don’t think that a work of this sort works if only one author writes it; as it is, we are treated to a work of fiction based very heavily on fact that makes for an entertaining and thought-provoking read.

“Cluny: In Search of God’s Lost Empire”, by Edwin Mullins

256 pages, BlueBridge, ISBN-13: 978-1933346007

Cluny: In Search of God’s Lost Empire is Edwin Mullins chronicle of the rise and fall of this most important centre of Christian life and culture. At crucial times in the history of Christendom monasteries have served as vital centers of renewal, reorganization and even protection from invaders. In the 10^th Century, amidst the chaos which followed the collapse of Charlemagne’s empire, Duke William of Aquitaine founded the Abbey of Cluny and appointed Berno its first abbot. Critical to this monastery’s success was its independence from local bishops and its responsibility solely to the bishop of Rome, a privilege repeatedly reaffirmed by several popes through the ensuing centuries. This independence, while it aroused jealousy amongst the nearby bishops, gave her and most especially her abbots a great amount of political influence. Along with the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, the abbot assisted in making and negotiating some of the most important decisions of the day, often finding himself in the role of mediator between pope and emperor, who were frequently at loggerheads with each other. This clout also made it easier to find significant patrons for the monastery, among whom were King Alfonso VI of Spain and King Henry II of England.

Mullins shows how along with this power came a vast network of monasteries which were subject to Cluny’s authority and her reforming ideals. From small beginnings, Cluny eventually found herself in charge of nearly 1500 monasteries, many of which, having been established after Spain was freed from the Moors, offered shelter and safety along the yet dangerous road to Compostella, the legendary burial place of St. James the Greater and one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the Middle Ages. These monasteries, and many other local churches besides, benefited from the artistic richness of Cluny. Such power required strong leadership, a need for which Providence provided over the course of several centuries. Stability was the operative word (St. Odilo and St. Hugh the Great ruled for an astonishing combined 115 years). These are the men who built and sustained this monastery during its glory days and who were among her greatest abbots, along with Peter the Venerable, who defended the ornate practices of Cluny against the acerbic attacks conducted by his friend St. Bernard of Clairvaux in the early 12^th Century.

Alas, by this time Cluny had already had her best days. St. Bernard’s Cistercian Order was on the rise and soon eclipsed Cluny’s influence on the papacy. In sometimes tragic detail, Mullins describes this long, slow decline as one of the saddest stories in the history of Christendom. The rise of urban centers of culture and learning, as well as the growing sense that Christianity was no longer threatened certainly contributed to the abbey’s downfall; add to these the declining discipline amongst the monks and newfound instability in the leadership as, after Peter the Venerable, there were nine abbots in the span of 50 years. Later on Cluny was attacked and damaged by Protestants in the 16^th Century, and over time she became dependent upon the French monarchy which surely aggravated the animus against her amidst the anti-Catholic climate of the French Revolution, at which time the end of Cluny seems to have become imminent. Thereafter all but a few portions of the abbey church were carted away in pieces, the stone having been sold for use in other local buildings by shameless opportunists.

Mullins’ book does a fascinating job of exposing what Cluny provided to a strong Europe (and perhaps what is now needed in Europe’s current climate in which there is much chaos, ecclesiastical and otherwise, and in which Christianity is on the defensive). Unfortunately, it seems questionable whether the author would agree with this assessment, as one of the few drawbacks of this book is a seeming anti-Catholic outlook which shows through in a few passages. Mullins seems eager to point out instances of supposed ecclesiastical tyranny and misogyny while at the same time using “scare quotes” in discussing the liberation (or, as he writes, “liberation”) of Spain from the Muslims as if this were somehow an unfortunate turn of events. Another issue the complete absence of footnotes, eliminated perhaps to facilitate reading by a wider audience, but the absence of thorough citation makes this book nearly useless in serious research, even though an impressive bibliography is included. In spite of these few misgivings, however, Edwin Mullins is to be congratulated for this fine book – Sts. Odilo and Hugh, pray for us.

“Dark Side Blues”, written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, drawn by Yuho Ashibe

338 pages, ADV Manga, ISBN-13: 978-1413900026

Dark Side Blues is a manga omnibus volume containing both published volumes written by Hideyuki Kikuchi (he of Vampire Hunter D fame) and drawn by Yuho Ashibe (he of Bride of Deimos fame). In the near future almost the entire world lies in the iron grip of a huge conglomerate, the Persona Century Corporation. One day, a mysterious man appears in Shinjuku, a dangerous and lawless place just teeming with rebels and terrorists and, incidentally, one of the few places not dominated by Persona Century (so does that mean that the Persona Century Corporation isn’t all bad? Hmmmmm…). The stranger’s name is Dark Side, and with the help of a small band of rebels he will attempt to break Persona’s stranglehold on the world. Alright, then. Overall I found the story to be rather disappointing, while the art was really good; while no other chapters have followed these two, the story reads like the middle of a much longer tale. We start with a terrorist who has just attacked world superpower Persona Century Corporation being punished and end with a woman joining the same terrorist organization set on overthrowing the stranglehold PCC has on the world.

The problem is that there are a lot of ill-defined powers at work here: the family that runs the Persona Century Corporation consists of a woman who enjoys torture, a brother who wears a mysterious mask that covers his entire face, a brother who escaped from some sort of prison in Africa and a kind-hearted sister who is never shown.  The savior of Shinjuku is the mysterious Dark Side, a dapper Deimos-looking fellow who appears and disappears mysteriously when the weak are struggling against The Man.  Persona Century Corporation chases a stray terrorist into Shinjuku, and the story follows him as he is sheltered by the local gang Messiah and we go through various battles and whatnot. The ill-defined powers come into play in a variety of ways.  The leader of Messiah, Mai, seems to possess supernatural speed, at the very least, but has an attachment to plants, so that might come into play as well.  Her assistant/partner is preternaturally gifted with electronics.  The nature of Dark Side’s powers is never revealed, and we never really see how he uses them.  The same with the older Persona brother, who fights Dark Side at one point.  The brother with the mask also appears to have some sort of supernatural aid on his side.  And yet, the rest of the story is firmly grounded in reality and the magic feels unnecessary and out of place, and really complicates the story (and I say that while holding the opinion that Dark Side is the best part, even though he adds nothing and is confusing).  The story itself is not all that interesting or well-developed, and as I said, seems to cut off right in the middle of the tale.