“This is the history of Russia, in a form that you will not have read it before.”

This year sees the centenary of the Russian revolution. The year began with a mass demonstration on the 26th of February, followed by the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, on the 2nd of March. This ushered in the unsteady rule of a Provisional Government, harassed by constant agitation from the Bolsheviks and others. On the 25th of October Lenin and Trotsky and their followers seized power.

These events shaped the last century. They led to Stalin’s rule and terror, the rise to power of Hitler, the pact between Stalin and Hitler in August 1939 opening the way for the Second World War, the Cold War and, in a way, Putin’s Russia.

In A Tear in the Curtain, author John Symons tries to make sense of this story as briefly and clearly as possible. A distinguished reviewer wrote of it, “This is the history of Russia, but in a form that you will not have read it before. It is at the same time objective and intensely personal. It tells us more in a few pages than many more formal accounts manage in a whole volume.” Dr Michael Bourdeaux.

From the author: “I hope that in the centenary year readers will find my book of interest and a help in seeing afresh events that still matter so much. I would be grateful if you would share this post to any who may be interested.”

A Tear in the Curtain is available from the Shepheard-Walwyn website as a hardback and in e-book formats via third parties. You can find out more about the author on his author page.

You may also be interested in these other books with a connection to the Russian Revolution: