The Truth of the Russian Revolution

The Memoirs of the Tsar's Chief of Security and His Wife

By Konstantin Ivanovich Globachev & Sofia Nikolaevna Globacheva
Translated by Vladimir G. Marinich

Subjects: History, European History, Russian Studies, Memoir, Autobigraphy
Paperback : 9781438464626, 364 pages, January 2018
Hardcover : 9781438464633, 364 pages, May 2017

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Table of contents

List of Illustrations
Translator’s Preface
Translator’s Acknowledgments

Introduction: Zinaida I. Peregudova and Jonathan Daly

1. Introduction to My Memoirs
General Globachev

2. The Globachevs’ Early Years
Vladimir G. Marinich
3. Our Years in Poland
Sofia Globacheva
4. Nizhni Novgorod and Sevastopol
Sofia Globacheva
5. Petrograd
Sofia Globacheva
6. The Organization of the Okhrana
General Globachev
7. The Role of the Central War Industry Committee
General Globachev
8. Alexander Kerensky
General Globachev
9. The Politics of the Miasoedov Affair
General Globachev
10. Rasputin
General Globachev
11. Many Ministers
General Globachev
12. Khvostov, Komissarov, Kamenev
General Globachev
13. Sturmer
General Globachev
14. Protopopov and the Eve of Revolution
General Globachev
15. Political Unrest—the Regiment Rebels
General Globachev
16. Globachev’s Track Record: A Description and Commentary of Globachev’s Tenure and Track Record as Head of the Petrograd Okhrana
Zinaida I. Peregudova, Jonathan Daly, and Vladimir G. Marinich
17. Turmoil
Sofia Globacheva
18. Allies and Adversaries
General Globachev
19. My Husband under Arrest
Sofia Globacheva
20. Imprisonment in the Tauride Palace
General Globachev
21. Incarcerated Life
General Globachev
22. Imprisonment Continues and the Bolsheviks Rise Up
General Globachev
23. My Husband’s Release, but Now Fear
Sofia Globacheva
24. The Revolution Deepens
General Globachev
25. Our Flight South
Sofia Globacheva
26. The Situation in Ukraine
General Globachev
27. Odessa’s Defense and Evacuation
General Globachev
28. Evacuation from Russia
Sofia Globacheva
29. A Short Return to Russia
Sofia Globacheva
30. Refugees on the Prince’s Islands
General Globachev
31. Our Homeland Deteriorates
General Globachev
32. Return to Odessa and to Turkey
General Globachev
33. Life on Prinkipo and in Constantinople
Sofia Globacheva
34. The High Command in Turkey
General Globachev
35. Last Days in Constantinople
Sofia Globacheva
36. Waning Hopes
General Globachev

37. Epilogue
Vladimir G. Marinich

Appendix A Globachev Timeline
Appendix B Globachev’s Transfer to Nizhni Novgorod
Notes
Glossary
Annotated List of Names
Bibliography
Index

An eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and its aftermath, newly translated into English.

Description

Bronze Medalist, 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the World History Category
Gold Winner, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in the History category

Major General Konstantin Ivanovich Globachev was chief of the Okhrana, the Tsarist secret police, in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) in the two years preceding the 1917 Russian Revolution. This book presents his memoirs—translated in English for the first time—interposed with those of his wife, Sofia Nikolaevna Globacheva. The general's writings, which he titled The Truth of the Russian Revolution, provide a front-row view of Tsar Nicholas II's final years, the revolution, and its tumultuous aftermath. Globachev describes the political intrigue and corruption in the capital and details his office's surveillance over radical activists and the mysterious Rasputin. His wife takes a more personal approach, depicting her tenacity in the struggle to keep her family intact and the family's flight to freedom. Her descriptions vividly portray the privileges and relationships of the noble class that collapsed with the empire. Translator Vladimir G. Marinich includes biographical information, illustrations, a glossary, and a timeline to contextualize this valuable primary source on a key period in Russian history.

Vladimir G. Marinich is Professor Emeritus of History at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.

Reviews

"Both Globachev's and Sofia's accounts vividly portray the fear of former tsarist officials and others in the White movement as they tried to evade mass arrests and eventually fled to Russia's southern border with Ukraine … This work is well compiled, as both a moving read for a general audience and a nicely organized reference for researchers. " — H-Net Reviews (H-War)

"Highly recommended. " — CHOICE

"An impressively informative and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover … a unique and highly prized addition to both community and academic library 20th century Russian History collections. " — Midwest Book Review