[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Book - Russia in 1919

[Richard Benert]

Gloria,

This website (www.worldwideschool.org) is indeed interesting, offering as it 
does the ability to develop a "great mind", one click at a time(!).  Well, I 
might have made different choices of things to read in the history section 
(which is where I have my expertise, such as it is), but yet one must admit 
that most of the books are classics, even if often outdated by more recent 
research.  "Russia in 1919" by Arthur Ransome (who was otherwise a 
biographer of Edgar Allan Poe and Oscar Wilde and writer of children's 
stories and compiler of folktales) is a book I ran into a little over a year 
ago and was fascinated by it.  Jerry's right.  It has no direct bearing on 
Volhynia in 1919.  But what Ransome did was to interview men on the street 
and in various bureaucratic positions of power in the Bolshevik organization 
in the days when the Revolution's success was not yet guaranteed and people 
still betrayed some of the humanitarian ideals that had been more operative 
in 1917.  Anyone who is curious about what daily life might have been like 
in those fateful years, and can divorce him/herself from the rancorous 
anti-communist history we often suffer from, might find this an interesting 
read.  I'd especially recommend Chapter 7, "An ex-Capitalist".  It's about 
the owner of a tannery who escaped some of the harsh treatment meted out to 
other "wealthy industrialists" by forming an "artel" or cooperative with his 
employees, effectively making him merely the manager of the business, the 
first among equals.  His major worry was how to get his fellow-workers to 
stop calling him "Master"!  This is the kind of "little people" history that 
we all need to read more of.

I'd also call attention to Ransome's explanation (in his Introduction) of 
why he chose not to dwell on the Red Terror.  Read it and see if there might 
not be some truth to what he says.

And if anyone is interested in Volhynia in 1919 (and the years before and 
after it), I will mention again the very fine book by Kate Brown, "A 
Biography of No Place.  From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland", 
Cambridge, 2004.  This gives a good worm's eye view of what the transition 
to the Soviet system was like in Volhynia.  It deals largely with the Polish 
element in Volhynia, but the Germans get some attention, too.  It's a shame 
that this book isn't available online.  It probably costs a small fortune to 
buy, but there's always interlibrary loan.

Dick Benert




----- Original Message ----- 
From: <gloriah4 at juno.com>
To: <franklyspeaking at shaw.ca>
Cc: <ger-poland-volhynia at eclipse.sggee.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2006 1:01 PM
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Book - Russia in 1919


> Jerry,
>
> This website offers the reading of books on-line and you might find a
> particular one of interest. Go into the "library" section and look under
> the "history-Russian" category where you will find the book Russia in
> 1919, by Arthur Ransome. I have only read the first chapter. Am curious
> as to how the book squares with SGGEE knowledge.
>
> Gloria Hoppe
> Researching: HOPPE, TOBER(T), HOLPOPP and SAWATZKI in (primarily)
> VOLHYNIA (and MEXICO)
>
> World Wide School
> http://www.worldwideschool.org/
> School has already begun in many areas of the country.  Today's feature
> is dedicated to 'growing great minds, one click at a time,' 'dedicated to
> the collection, preservation and presentation of educational material.'
> "For whatever reason, many people may find it difficult to broaden their
> education by traditional means; attending high school or college can seem
> like an impossible dream.  That is why we are offering an education via
> the Web."  This web education is geared to teachers, families and
> children.  As the subscriber who recommended the site says, "It's a great
> source for online reading, both fiction and non-fiction.  There is a
> search window provided as well as an index arranged by topic.'  Here's
> the ideal way to get the material for whatever learning activity upon
> which you might embark.  Students of all ages, welcome back to the
> school!
>
>