{"product_id":"9780330517287-spies-and-commissars","title":"Spies and Commissars","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBolshevik Russia and the West\u003cbr\u003eFrom the award-winning historian and author of \u003ci\u003eLenin\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStalin\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTrotsky\u003c\/i\u003e, a compellingly readable account of the early years of Soviet Russia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Service, world-leading expert in Russian history, presents a fresh portrait of the early years of the Revolution.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Fascinating . Service has a wonderful eye for the telling detail’ – \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1917. The world is locked in an ideological battle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Western powers are anxious to prevent Bolshevism spreading across Europe. Lenin and Trotsky are equally anxious that their Communist vision should do just that. But in the wake of the Revolution and Russia’s withdrawal from the First World War, there is a distinct lack of reliable information available to either side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInto this intelligence void step an extraordinary collection of journalists, spies – sometimes not mutually exclusive categorisations – and opportunists. In Moscow Britain’s Arthur Ransome, the American John Reed and Sidney Reilly –the ‘Ace of Spies’ – trade information and broker deals between Russia and the West; in Berlin, Paris and London, the likes of Maxim Litvinov, Adolf Ioffe and Kamenev try to infiltrate the political elite and influence foreign policy to the Bolshevik advantage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpies and Commissars\u003c\/i\u003e is a riveting account of the political wrangling in the immediate aftermath of the Revolution, brought to life through the stories of this ragtag group of individuals. With trademark narrative flair and impeccable research, Robert Service reveals one of the great untold tales of the twentieth century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘The twenty-first century needs this kind of unflinchingly honest history’ – Simon Sebag Montefiore, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscover more fascinating Russian Revolution titles from Robert Service: \u003ci\u003eThe Last of the Tsars\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBlood on the Snow\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56451375628662,"sku":"9780330517287","price":12.02,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_33142792.jpg?v=1760462177","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780330517287-spies-and-commissars","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}