Sota Venäjällä, Venäjä sodassa. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia, 1159 by Pertti Luntinen (review)

Abstract

744 SEER, 88, 4, OCTOBER 2OIO also includesa usefuloverviewof local and centralpower in the Baikal region. Unfortunately, Witzenrath's generally commendabletreatment is marred byexcessive theorizing, sometimes on thebasisoftoo little evidence, and by slipsin theuse oflanguageand logic.He graspsat anyanalytical toolwhich mightaid his quest,including'symbolical interpretative exchangegestures, [.. .] dressand a symbolical arrangement inspace' (p.90),butclumsy English too oftenobscureshis meaning,and althoughhe is rightto impugnSoviet historiansfor over-estimating social cleavages, he is inclined to apply ill-defined concepts from recent Western discourse uncritically. Routledgehas stinted theeditorial services whichwouldhavemade thisa muchbetterbook,and is demandingan exorbitant priceforit,confident, presumably ofblanket orders from university libraries. Thisis a pitybecause, despite itsshortcomings, Witzenrath has made a significant contribution both to the literature on late seventeenth-century Cossackdomand to theories pertaining thereto. London PhilipLongworth Luntinen,Pertti.Sota Venäjällä, Venäjäsodassa.SuomalaisenKirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia, 1159.FinnishLiterature Society,Helsinki,2008. 1,037PP-Illustrations. Maps. Bibliography. Index.€48.00. War is not a subjectforthe faint-hearted or the squeamishand Pertti Luntinen'smassivevolume on cWarin Russia, Russia at War' demands fortitude - true Finnishsisu- on the part of its readers.The book's ambitious aim is to coverwar and itsinfluence on thelandsoftheRussian Empire,theSovietUnion and theRussianFederation from prehistoric time to thepresent. Roughlya fifth ofthebook is devotedto theperiodbefore PetertheGreat,a little overa quarterto theimperial periodbetween1696 and 1917, wellovera quarterfromtheCivilWar to theend ofWorldWar Two andjustundera fifth to theyearsfrom thebeginning oftheCold War to thepresent day. Luntinen, a retired historian from theUniversity ofTampere,istheauthor ofa number ofimportant studies relating toRussianmilitary history, particularly between1808and 1918.He has drawnon hisownexpertise inthisgreat workbut has been, understandably and appreciatively, dependentupon theresearchof othersto coversuch a broad subject.Each chapterhas its ownbibliography (thereare no footnote references to individual books)and it is evidentfromthesebibliographies and fromthetextitself how widely, fruitfully and critically Luntinenhas drawnon theworkof otherscholars. Listingof the important literature approachesthe comprehensive. Books in Russian and Englishpredominate but German and Frenchworksare represented and materialin Finnishadds a specialdimension to Luntinen's narrative. This is naturalin a bookintended forFinnish readers, presumably reviews 745 mostly university students, but also otherswishing to learnmoreabout the wars and armedforcesof theireasternneighbour.However,the Finnishrelatedreferences are keptin proportion and often provideuseful illustrative information or opinionsabout particular campaigns.Luntinenalso makes good use ofliterary worksto makeparticular points.For example,theattitudestowarrevealed bycharacters inAleksandr Kuprin'snovelTheDuelform a useful partofa discussion ofmilitarism, pacifism and disarmament in the periodbefore WorldWar One. The first partsofthebookdescribe howtheold Russianstatewas created outofwarsand military forces. Subsequent parts, untilthoseon recent years, reflect thegreater availability ofscholarly work.In consequence,from1696 totheendoftheSovietperiodthereis a moreintense and engagednarrative ofevents and moredetailedand effective descriptions and analyses ofRussian armies,weapons,campaigns,strategy and tactics.However,in comingup to thepresent theauthorhas had to base hisworkon a variety ofcurrent newspapers, journalsand websites.The postscript on the war in Georgia in 2008 concludesthatthe Russian armyhas recoveredfromits deepest decline. Inevitably, thereis a greatdeal on thecruelty oftheRussiansin war and on thesavagery visited upon them.The authorconcludesthattheRussians, althoughtheydid much thatwas evil,cannotbe regardedas particularly brutal comparedwith others.He makes dramaticuse of language,for examplein hisgraphicdescription ofthehorrors ofthebattleforBudapest towards theendofWorldWar Two, and inrecording the'poverty, criminality ,smuggling, peopletrafficking, illegalmigration and thepeddlingofarms' in modernTransdniestria (p. 907). Nevertheless, he also sometimes deploys humourand irony, notsparing thereaderwhocheckedhisFinnish language and style. A problemwhen describing the wars in whichRussia was engagedis howto givetherequisite information abouttheforeign and domestic policy background without overcrowding thetext.Here theauthorsometimes goes further thannecessary and inwriting oftheSovietUnionas a superpower he tendsto providean accountofworldhistory. However,thesetendencies do notdetract from thebook'sessential merit as a history ofRussia'sarmiesand warsand theirconsequences. The usefulness of the numeroussketchmaps which show the areas and campaignsdescribed wouldhave been improved had theirscalesbeen indicated. Each chapter begins witha well-chosen black-and-white illustration. The index,combining in one sequence people, places and subjects,is an excellent feature, all toouncommon amongFinnish books. The author concluded that he finishedhis long work 'regretful and relieved'. The readerwhoperseveres to theend ofthebookmaysharethese sentiments: regret because Luntinenis a compassionate, individual and reliable author;relief becausethisexcellent history ofRussia'swarsoften makes grimreading. Berkhamsted J. E. O. Screen ...