I have no specific topic yet, but have I consulted with my dissertation supervisor and at this moment in time my reading is geared towards the reputation of Trotsky during the Russian Civil War (RCW). This topic will allow me to explore subjects I have a great interest in, including War Communism and the Red Terror – and will also allow me to study Trotsky in depth, a Bolshevik revolutionary who has always fascinated me.
Primary Source:
Butt, V.P., Murphy, A.B., Myshov, N.A., and G.R. Swain, eds. The Russian Civil War: Documents from the Soviet Archives. London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1996.
I found this book whilst searching for primary source material and was able to purchase an online copy via the Palgrave website. It includes an enormous variety of primary sources regarding the RCW, all of which is in English. It is particularly useful to me as it includes accounts from the Anti-desertion Commissions on measures to deal with deserters. The dealing of deserters was of course integral to the reputation of Trotsky during the RCW. There is no obvious difficulty to using this source, although it is important to not over-rely on it and look further afield for primary sources.
Secondary Sources:
Mawdsley, Evan. The Russian Civil War. Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 2017.
I found this book whilst searching the University of Stirling’s library portal. It is incredibly useful to me as it is the most recent historiography published on the RCW. It extensively covers nearly all RCW topics, many of which I am currently considering including in my dissertation, these include, but are not limited to: War Communism, the New Economic Policy, the Red Terror and the White Terror. Mawdsley also includes maps which illustrate areas of control in the Red and White Camps throughout the war, which helps to better my understanding of the RCW overall. The only limitation of this source is that because it covers such an extensive period – Mawdsley can only go into so much detail on each specific topic. It is therefore important to use this source as an introduction to the RCW and explore ideas/topics in more detail by reading historiography which is suited to a specific topic within the RCW.
Figes, Orlando. Peasant Russia, Civil War: The Volga Countryside in Revolution, 1917-1921. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Clarendon Press, 1989.
I also found this source whilst searching the University of Stirling’s library portal. This source is useful as it takes a more specific approach by focusing on the effects of the RCW on the Volga region. Furthermore, it is particularly useful for its focus on the peasant’s experience of the RCW, who played a fundamental role in Red victory and in doing so were also subject to Trotsky’s anti-desertion policies.
Service, Robert. Lenin: A Biography. London: Pan Books, 2010.
I had a copy of this book in my house and I therefore thought it would be a good starting point for my dissertation reading. Lenin, with Trotsky, orchestrated Red Victory during the RCW. So, it is incredibly useful to me as it discusses various RCW topics in depth which Lenin played a significant role in, particularly the transition from War Communism to the New Economic Policy. It also examines some of the many disagreements between Lenin and Trotsky during the RCW. The obvious limitation of this source is that it is entirely focused on Lenin, and it is not entirely focused on the RCW. Nevertheless, it has helped me to explore potential ideas and closely examine Trotsky’s relationship with Lenin during the RCW.