In one year Admiral Kolchak fell from being Supreme Ruler of All the Russias to the victim of a show trial. This text traces his downfall, whilst providing a broader history of Russia in a time of crisis and revolutionary change.

Listening Length

7 hours and 38 minutes
Author

Peter Fleming
Narrator

Richard Mitchley
Audible release date

September 10, 2012
Language

English
Publisher

Audible Studios
ASIN

B0098IOSQ2
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	7 hours and 38 minutes
Author	Peter Fleming
Narrator	Richard Mitchley
Audible.com Release Date	September 10, 2012
Publisher	Audible Studios
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B0098IOSQ2
Best Sellers Rank	#291,858 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #451 in Russian History (Audible Books & Originals) #5,317 in Russian History (Books)

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Igor Biryukov

Important but forgotten episode of the Russian Civil War

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2002

"The fate of Admiral Kolchak" by British writer Peter Fleming is written and researched well. Admiral Kolchak, a former commander of Russian Black Sea fleet, became (against his will) in 1918 the head of Russian anti-Bolshevik forces in Siberia. His leadership was not very successful for many reasons. Honest and very proud, Kolchak didn�t fit to be a successful dealmaker and go-between among various anti-Bolshevik forces in Russia and abroad.
In 1919 Kolchak was handed over to the Bolsheviks in Irkutsk by the Czechoslovakian guards (who were supposed to be guarding him). The French General Maurice Janin, who was formally in charge of Czechoslovakian troops as commander-in-chief of all Allied troops in Russia not only did turned a blind eye on this affair, but, as Fleming alleges, he must have been the person who gave the green light to the Czech and Slovak guards to hand over Kolchak to the Russian Red Army in exchange to a free passage to Vladivostok.
Predictably and sadly Admiral Kolchak was executed by the Bolsheviks (after 9 days of interrogations) and his body dumped into the river in Irkutsk. Fleming does not talk extensively about U.S. involvement, but there are several pages describing Woodrow Wilson�s decision to intervene, why it came about and how it was implemented. It seems to be heavily based on George Kennan books.
There are some intriguing details about complicated relationships between British, French, American, Japanese, and Russian anti-Bolshevik forces in the Russian Far East. Useful book for Russian history buffs, although would be probably hard to find (was written in the early 1960s). It�s great that Amazon has at least the audiotape version.

17 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Molerat

The man who would be Supreme Ruler

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2011

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This is not really a history of the Allied intervention in Siberia in 1918, nor is it a biography of the man who would be Supreme Ruler of all the Russias. Fleming does deal with the intervention in some detail but, as he writes in the foreword, "My main purpose is implicit in the title of this book. I wanted to establish as accurately as possible the circumstances of Kolchak's failure, of his betrayal, and of his death." So about one third of the text is taken up with the story of Kolchak's tragic final train journey from Omsk to Irkutsk, where he was imprisoned, interrogated and then despatched by firing squad before being shoved into the river through a hole in the ice. As told by Fleming, this story is quite moving.

One gets the impression Fleming began with great sympathy for Kolchak, but discovered by and by that the Admiral, at least during his term as Siberian dictator, was far from being a particularly attractive individual. However, the author saves his greatest wrath for those he considers the real villains of the piece: the Japanese-sponsored warlord Semenov ("a bandit with many of the attributes of a monster") and France's self-important General Janin, who washed his hands of Kolchak and left him to his fate. Truth be told, it was not the Allies' finest hour.

Incidentally, Fleming revels in the richness of the English language so, if you are less confident of your erudition, keep a dictionary handy for the likes of costive, rodomontade, misprision, inchoate, casuistry, etc.

17 people found this helpful

Yvan Defoy

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on January 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

The complex, confused and fluid 1918-19 years in Siberia presented by a talented writer.

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