Robert Service (historian)
Encyclopedia
Robert John Service is a British historian, academic, and author who has written extensively on the history of Soviet Russia
, particularly the era from the October Revolution
to Stalin's death. He is currently a professor of Russian history at the University of Oxford
, a Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford
, and a senior fellow at Stanford University
's Hoover Institution
. As an author Service is known for his 2000, 2004, and 2009 biographies of Vladimir Lenin
, Joseph Stalin
, and Leon Trotsky
, respectively.
, where he studied Russian and classical Greek. He went to Essex
and Leningrad
universities for his postgraduate work, and taught at Keele
and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies
, which later joined University College London
, before joining Oxford University in 1998, where he currently teaches.
His biography of Russian revolutionary Marxist and co-leader of the Russian Revolution
Leon Trotsky
had been subjected to severe criticism since its publication for historical falsification. David North, chairman of the International Committee of the Fourth International
published his criticism in the form of a book, In Defense of Leon Trotsky. The accusations of not meeting basic standards of historical scholarship and numerous factual errors in the biography were also seconded by the American Historical Review
.
In an interview with WSWS, Professor Hermann Weber (former Chair of Political Science and Contemporary History at the University of Mannheim) commenting on Service's Trotsky stated that "the book is a diatribe and not a scientific critical polemic." He also criticized the "incredible number of grave mistakes, blunders and misrepresentations" and accused Service of dealing in "lies, falsifications of history, dubious references and even anti-Semitic prejudices- "
In July 2011 a group of fourteen prominent historians, political scientists and publicists from Germany and Austria sent a letter to the German publishing house Suhrkamp opposing the publication of Robert Service’s biography of Trotsky. The letter cited 'a host of factual errors,' the 'repugnant connotations' of the passages in which Service deals with Trotsky’s Jewish origins, and Service’s recourse to 'formulas associated with Stalinist propaganda' for the purpose of discrediting Trotsky.
, on the UK site of the online bookseller Amazon
. Figes later issued an apology to Service who threatened to sue him for libel
Soviet Russia
Soviet Russia usually refers to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union. It may also denote:* Soviet Russia , magazine of the Friends of Soviet Russia in the United States...
, particularly the era from the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
to Stalin's death. He is currently a professor of Russian history at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, a Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.St Antony's is the most international of the seven all-graduate colleges of the University of Oxford, specialising in international relations, economics, politics, and history of particular parts of the...
, and a senior fellow at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
. As an author Service is known for his 2000, 2004, and 2009 biographies of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, and Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
, respectively.
Career
Service spent his undergraduate years at King's College, CambridgeKing's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, where he studied Russian and classical Greek. He went to Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
and Leningrad
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg and one of the oldest and largest universities in Russia....
universities for his postgraduate work, and taught at Keele
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies
School of Slavonic and East European Studies
The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies is a school of University College London . It is the largest centre for the study and research of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Russia in the United Kingdom...
, which later joined University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, before joining Oxford University in 1998, where he currently teaches.
Writings and Criticism
Between 1986 and 1995, Service published a three-volume biography of Lenin. He has also written several works of general history on 20th-century Russia such as A History of Twentieth-Century Russia. Robert Service has written a trilogy of biographies: Lenin (2000), Stalin (2004) and Trotsky (2009).His biography of Russian revolutionary Marxist and co-leader of the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution can refer to:* Russian Revolution , a series of strikes and uprisings against Nicholas II, resulting in the creation of State Duma.* Russian Revolution...
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
had been subjected to severe criticism since its publication for historical falsification. David North, chairman of the International Committee of the Fourth International
International Committee of the Fourth International
The International Committee of the Fourth International is the name of two Trotskyist internationals; one with sections named Socialist Equality Party which publishes the World Socialist Web Site and another linked to the Workers Revolutionary Party in Britain.-Foundation:The International...
published his criticism in the form of a book, In Defense of Leon Trotsky. The accusations of not meeting basic standards of historical scholarship and numerous factual errors in the biography were also seconded by the American Historical Review
American Historical Review
The American Historical Review is the official publication of the American Historical Association, established in 1895 "for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts, and the dissemination of historical research." It targets readers...
.
In an interview with WSWS, Professor Hermann Weber (former Chair of Political Science and Contemporary History at the University of Mannheim) commenting on Service's Trotsky stated that "the book is a diatribe and not a scientific critical polemic." He also criticized the "incredible number of grave mistakes, blunders and misrepresentations" and accused Service of dealing in "lies, falsifications of history, dubious references and even anti-Semitic prejudices- "
In July 2011 a group of fourteen prominent historians, political scientists and publicists from Germany and Austria sent a letter to the German publishing house Suhrkamp opposing the publication of Robert Service’s biography of Trotsky. The letter cited 'a host of factual errors,' the 'repugnant connotations' of the passages in which Service deals with Trotsky’s Jewish origins, and Service’s recourse to 'formulas associated with Stalinist propaganda' for the purpose of discrediting Trotsky.
Conflict with Orlando Figes
In 2010, books by Robert Service were criticized in several reviews posted by another British historian, Orlando FigesOrlando Figes
Orlando Figes is a British historian of Russia, and Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London.-Overview:Figes is the son of the feminist writer Eva Figes. His sister is the author and editor Kate Figes. He attended William Ellis School in north London from 1971-78...
, on the UK site of the online bookseller Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. Figes later issued an apology to Service who threatened to sue him for libel
Works
- The Bolshevik Party in Revolution 1917-23: A Study in Organizational Change (1979)
- A History of Twentieth-Century Russia (1997)
- The Russian Revolution, 1900-27 (Studies in European History) (1999)
- A History of Modern Russia, from Nicholas II to Putin (1998, Second edition in 2003)
- Lenin: A Biography (2000)
- Russia: Experiment with a People (2002)
- Stalin: A BiographyStalin: A BiographyStalin: A Biography is an biography of Joseph Stalin written by Robert Service. It was published in 2004 to wide acclaim.The book is a weighty and descriptive account of Stalin’s life, covering in detail his youth, rise to power and rule...
(2004) - Comrades: A World History of Communism (2007)
- Trotsky: A Biography (2009)
- The Penguin History of Modern Russia From Tsarism to the 21st Century (1997)
External links
- Robert Service's homepage
- Interview on C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/may/30/paperback-of-the-week-robert-service-trotsky
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6271804/Trotsky-by-Robert-Service-review.html
- In The Service of Historical Falsification: A Review of Robert Service's Trotsky: A Biography
- Review of Robert Service’s Stalin: A Biography
- Hoover Institute