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List of contents
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Chronology
Introduction
1. The Problem of Brest in Soviet-British Relations
2. British Armed Intervention ‘By Agreement’
3. The So-Called ‘Complot of Ambassadors’
4. Oriental Trends in the Soviet-British Relations, 1918
5. ‘Stillborn Crusade’ against the Bolsheviks and the ‘Russian Question’ at the Paris Peace Conference
6. The Baltic Problem, Soviet-Polish War, and Trade Negotiations
7. From Bad to Worse: Soviet-British Relations in the Middle and Far East, 1919–22
8. Soviet Russia and Great Britain at International Conferences, 1922-23
9. Lord Curzon’s ‘Ultimatum’ of 1923
10. Britain’s Recognition of the USSR and its Repercussions
Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Evgeny Sergeev is Chief Research Fellow at Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of World History, Russia and Professor of International and British History at Russian State University for the Humanities, Russia. He is the author of several books, including The Great Game, 1856–1907: Russo-British Relations in Central and East Asia (2013) and Russian Military Intelligence in the War with Japan, 1904-5 (2007).
Summary
This book analyses the principal aspects of the relations between Soviet Russia (USSR) and Britain in the crucial phase of their formation, namely the period from 1917 to 1924.
Using previously unavailable and largely unknown archival records and memoirs published by statesmen, diplomats and military commanders directly involved in the events, Evgeny Sergeev not only reconstructs the dynamics of the interaction between Moscow and London, but also strips its key episodes of common myths and stereotypes. The most debatable issues, to which this study draws its primary attention, include Britain’s role in the Entente armed intervention against the Bolshevik regime as well as a series of reciprocate attempts to avoid political controversies, and London's contribution to humanitarian aid and the economic recovery of post-revolutionary Russia. Special consideration is also given to the impact of British diplomacy on the recognition of the USSR by other great powers like France, Italy, and Japan in the mid-1920s.
Foreword
An examination of Soviet-British relations after the collapse of the tsarist regime and the establishment of the Versailles international order.
Additional text
This work is a valuable study of the relations between two major powers, one an established empire and the other a newly formed state struggling to secure its hold on power internally and seeking to establish its presence externally. The use of Russian archival sources makes it especially useful for researchers who either lack either access to these materials, or the language skills to read the original documents. … The Bolsheviks and Britain during the Russian Revolution and Civil War, 1917-24 is highly recommended for anyone interested in the Soviet Union’s early relations with the west, and Britain in particular.
