Parandowski Jan- Bolshevism and the Bolsheviks in Russia [high rarity].

Warsaw 1919/ E.Wende and S-ka/ first edition/ binding, linen/ 16x24 cm/ p.159/ good+ condition, ownership entry on title page, small losses of upper edges of two pages. Otherwise text in nice condition. Rare

One of the first sovietological publications

The appendix includes , "Constitution of Soviet Russia of 1918".

As a curiosity it is worth mentioning that this work was dedicated by the young Parandowski to his then wife Aurelia Wylezynska ( she was removed from subsequent editions)

About the book:, "Less than a year after his return from internment, Parandowski also published the book Bolshevism and the Bolsheviks in Russia. It was published in the same year (1919) in Leon Dankiewicz's printing house in Stanislavov. Reading the book was intended, however slightly, to help the reader get an idea of the events that rocked Russia in the early 20th century. "Ignorance of the Russian upheavals," the author emphasizes in the preface, "has been taken in our country to the point of naiveté. In 1917, four months after the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, a serious Polish author wrote: "Contrary to naive predictions, the Russian Revolution will not bring about fundamental changes in Eastern Europe" At the time, this was a common opinion, shared by all politicians. The last year has terribly scuppered this belief. And one can only wonder that such a gigantic upheaval as the overthrow of the Tsar, a revolution engulfing almost one-sixth of the world, was considered for a time to be an episodic accident, a mere reflex of "nihilistic Russia" .

It is worth remembering that the author formulated such views at a time when there was a belief in the "agony of Bolshevism." Its collapse was expected overnight. The book, which was written during the revolutionary turmoil, contains not only, captured with the eye of a careful observer, a reporter's description of events. Many pages also contain attempts to analyze the revolutionary changes and predictions for the future. Forecasts that turned out to be extremely accurate and which time has verified. The judgments contained therein are mostly based on a factual assessment of the social and historical situation in Russia: "Bolshevism is a specifically Russian symptom. It grew, developed and exuberated on Russian soil, and although we see it sometimes and far beyond Russia's borders, it never loses its connection with the native stem. Russian is Bolshevism as Russia made it, which, against the background of socialist and communist theories developed in the West, bred a monstrous, all-destroying, useless movement" . The author points to the causes that foster the development of Bolshevism in Russia. In his opinion, several can be cited that are of key importance. These are: the deep stratification of society; the symptomatic lack of communication between the broad, dark masses of the peasantry and the few, well-educated intelligentsia; the destructive power of widespread nihilism; pervasive ignorance and careerism; and the passivity and lack of ability of society to self-organize, developed over years of authoritarian rule.'' [ Grazyna Pawlak , "Jan Parandowski and Russia"].