Reds and Whites

The Civil War ended a hundred years ago, but the passions surrounding it have not cooled and are unlikely to do so in the foreseeable future. Reflecting on the social catastrophe that befell them, each of the warring camps created its own historical narrative and its own pantheon of heroes. Today, almost all of them—both whites and reds—have lost their romantic aura: both opposing sides demonstrated remarkable brutality in this conflict. Oleg Budnitsky's book is dedicated to the heroes of the Civil War from both sides: it consists of biographical sketches of the leaders of the reds and whites, collective portraits of the most famous military units of both sides, as well as 'snapshots' of the Red Army in 1918 and 'white Crimea' in the autumn of 1920, when the Russian Vendee was in its last days. Against superficial views and the demonization/romanticization of these historical figures, the author presents an analysis of the motives and logic behind the actions of key historical figures, attempting to see them as living people forced to make difficult political and moral choices, as well as reaping the consequences of their actions and crimes. Oleg Budnitsky is a Doctor of Historical Sciences, a professor, the director of the Institute of Soviet and Post-Soviet History at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, and the author of numerous studies on 20th-century history.