Another Russia. Studies on the History of Russian Emigration

Abstract: Despite Georges Danton's popular quotation "Motherland cannot be carried away with you on boot soles", Russian emigrants of the "first wave" (1918- 1940) managed to create "another Russia" abroad. Various aspects of its political and social life are discussed in the book by Oleg Budnitsky, a renowned expert on the history of Russian emigration. One of the subjects of the book is the fate of "Russian money" abroad: the last part of the so-called Kolchak's gold; finances of the imperial family; the Petrograd loan (silver) treasury, which ended up in the hands of General Wrangel and became the source of financing for his army. In another section the author examines the emigrants' search for ways to overcome Bolshevism - from hopes of its evolution or demise to ideas of a transition to terror. The most extensive part of the volume is devoted to the history of emigration during the Second World War, when some emigrants espoused views "anyone is acceptable including the devil to defeat Bolsheviks", even if his name was Adolf Hitler, while others believed that the Soviet regime will be reborn and tried to accept it. The book also includes portraits of eminent personalities of the emigration: diplomats, lawyers, businessmen, and writers. The research included in the book is based mainly on foreign archives. Oleg Budnitsky is Professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Director of the Institute of Soviet and Post-Soviet History of the Higher School of Economics at National Research University.