Acclaimed historian Antony Beevor is out with a new book. “Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921” is a comprehensive look at this earthshaking event that would have political and social implications on the world for the rest of the 20th century. The award-winning author has written several bestselling books about World War II, including “D-Day: The Battle for Normandy,” “Ardennes 1944: Hitler’s Last Gamble” and “The Second World War,” among others.
Beevor, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017, spoke with HistoryNet about his new book and how this century-old event is still having an impact on the world today.
WHY RUSSIA? WHY NOW? GIVEN WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE UKRAINE, THE TIMING IS PERFECT.
Well, it was hardly planned this way. The research started six years ago, when I was halfway through my last book, “Arnhem: The Battle for the Bridges, 1944.” Knowing this was the one I was going to do next, my researcher, who I’ve worked with for the last 28 years, including on “Stalingrad” in 1998, started scouring the Russian archives. Her efforts were crucial because I can’t go back to Russia without serving five years in prison. I have been threatened with that because I wrote about mass rape by the Red Army in my 2002 book “Berlin: The Downfall, 1945,” even though that material came straight from the Russian archives.
