Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921

From the archive: Sir Antony Beevor and Clive Myrie

As we gear up to announce the line-up to our Medieval Fest at the British Library this December, we thought we’d share an event from our archive. This one comes from HistFest 2023…

Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921

Twenty-five years ago, Sir Antony Beevor wrote the definitive account of the Battle of Stalingrad, a formative moment in the forging of modern Russian identity. The book won multiple international awards and soon became a million-copy bestseller.   Now, Beevor turns his attention to the birth of the Soviet Union itself, with an in-depth look at the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the five years of conflict that followed it. Using the most up to date scholarship and archival research, he weaves a compelling and complex narrative, telling the story through the eyes of everyone from the worker on the streets of Petrograd to the cavalry officer on the battlefield and the woman doctor in an improvised hospital.

This event was chaired by multi award winning presenter and the BBC’s Chief News Correspondent, Clive Myrie. In a career spanning more than 30 years he’s been the Corporation’s Africa, Asia, Europe and Washington Correspondent. He’s reported from more than 90 countries around the world and last year led the BBC’s coverage of the war in Ukraine, reporting live on the day of Russia’s invasion. 

Video available to paid subscribers.