Crimea (Allen Lane History) [Hardcover]

 

 

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This is a beautifully paced book. There is an excellent account of the factors leading up to the war making some sense out of the "Eastern Question". The battles are dealt with in sufficient depth but not a blow by blow narrative as is too often the case in military history. What makes the book outstanding is the focus on the ordinary soldier and particularly their suffering during the first winter in the Crimea. We get a clear picture of the awful conditions, the disease, the injuries and above all the incompetence of the commanders.There are many extracts from personal letters and they, along with the illustrations and maps, contribute greatly to the story. The book does not end with the Treaty of Paris but goes on to describe the effect that the war had on European politics during the ensuing deacdes.

On July 18, 1854, two British warships under the command of Captain Erasmus Ommaeny bombarded the monastery on the main island in the Solovetskie Islands in the White Sea. The monastery itself had no real military or political value, but Ommaney lacked the forces necessary to attack the main Russian base in the area at Archangel and decided that the monastery was a suitable enough target to win his men plaudits at home. After the outdated Russian batteries defending the monastery were destroyed, Ommaney demanded the surrender of the place; when this was refused he launched a second bombardment before sailing away in frustration, his bold military action having caused a total of six casualties, all among his own men.

There is no mention of Ommaney's adventure in Orlando Figes's history of the Crimean War, which is unfortunate considering how nicely it encapsulates the pointlessness that is a dominant theme of his assessment of the conflict. Its absence is also revealing, as it shows Figes's focus to be squarely on the eponymous theater of the war. There is some discussion of the combat in the Caucauses, a couple of passing mentions of fighting in the Baltic and no mention of battles anywhere else. This is also unfortunate, as it would have been interesting to see him employ the same penetrating analysis to these other overlooked theaters that he applies to the fighting in the Crimea. For his book offers a insightful reexamination of this often-overlooked conflict, one that demonstrates its underrated significance to the history of Europe in the 19th century.

Figes spends the first part of the book teasing out the complicated origins of the war. While many factors were involved, he considers the role of the Russian tsar Nicolas I to be the most significant one, giving greater weight to religion as a motivating factor in his actions than have previous historians. Yet this only served to define some of the particulars of what was an ongoing struggle between the major European powers over the fate of the Ottoman Empire and her territories. Pressured by Russia, the Ottomans received support from Great Britain and France, each of whom were motivated by different interests and seeking different goals.

Achieving their various goals eventually cost the sides involved far more than they had anticipated. When war did break out in 1854, the British and the French were divided as to what to do to strike at the Ottomans. Eventually an assault on the Russian Black Fleet and their main naval base at Sebastopol became their goal, motivated as much by the allies' desire to move their forces out of cholera-afflicted Bessarabia as anything else. Their landing and subsequent advance soon developed into a ponderous siege of the town. Here Figes excels in describing the siege and the major personalities involved, capturing the bravery of the men and the appalling errors which were made by their leaders in waging it. The fall of Sebastopol, along with Nicholas's death and succession by his reform-minded son Alexander II, led to a negotiated peace that was a humiliation, one which was soon reversed by a combination of adroit diplomacy and fortuitous timing. Figes concludes with a chapter in which he looks at the weight given to the conflict in the national imaginations of the various countries which sent men to fight and die there, a few of whom were immortalized but most ultimately forgotten.

Figes's book is a superb history of a often-overlooked war. His background in Russian history and his command of the Russian-language sources allows him to provide a far more complete examination of the conflict than exists in most English-language accounts, while his abilities as a writer help bring the war to life. In this sense Ommaneny's escapade can go unnoticed, overshadowed as it was by the far larger and bloodier farce that took place further south that Figes recounts with both humanity and insight. The result is a book that, while far from the final word on this complex and multifaceted conflict, is unlikely to be bettered anytime soon for the author's success in providing such an entertaining and informative account of a war that has long been denied its due.

'Crimea' is an extremely enjoyable book. Figes writes very well, is fair & balanced (I never knew the French contribution far exceeded the British, qualitatively as well as quantitatively) and knows his stuff. The only flaw I could think of is that he omits to explain the working of the Minie rifle. Given how crucial this weapon was to the Allies' ability to win every battle on open ground against Russians who still used old-school muskets (another thing I learned from this book), a little bit of technical explanation on how this rifle worked would be a good add for the next print. But again, high marks, this book is real page-turner!

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4.0 out of 5 stars very revealing
This was a very worthwhile read. Although I knew about Florence Nightingale and the charge of the Light Brigade, I shamefully never really knew the whole story of this war. Read more

Published 3 months ago by fergus

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGH QUALITY-- BUT A FEW QUIBBLES
There is no better modern work on The Crimean War.

I think Figes could have spent less time on the lead-up to the conflict, even though it is all quite interesting, as... Read more

Published 4 months ago by David P. Weber

4.0 out of 5 stars Back to the future, Evil Empire, Religous Fundamentalists, Jihah, Media
The costumes and the weaponry might change but history seems to keep repeating itself. This is a fascinating book, it gives a good idea of life on the front line in the Crimea and... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Michael Layden

5.0 out of 5 stars History -writing at its best
This is the first book by Figes I've read (having until now little or no interest in Russian history, or perhaps more correctly: not the time to immerse myself in the subject),... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Didier

3.0 out of 5 stars Crimea - Orlando Figes
This account is well written although the actual campaign in the Crimea took about 20% of the book only. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Icarus

4.0 out of 5 stars Wide-ranging coverage of an epic conflict
The Crimean War cost the lives of around 800,000 people and, until 1914, was seen by many as the most horrific conflict of all time. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Otto99

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book - disappointing author
I have really enjoyed Figes's books on Russian History and this latest one on the Crimean war was no exception. Read more

Published 8 months ago by SJ SMART

3.0 out of 5 stars Good in parts, too detailed in others; mixed pleasure
The book: mainly about the Crimean War (1853-1856) but with its roots and its effects as well, this is a serious history book. Read more

Published 9 months ago by H. Beentje

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroghly enjoyable
I thoroghly enjoyed this book and would heartily recommend it to those with a passion for history and general readers alike. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Reykjavik

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive work on the Crimean war
I have read much on the Crimean war but little about it's causes and aftermath. This book is easy to read, brilliantly researched and I enjoyed it very much. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Bazrama

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