Book Review: U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe: Russian Diplomacy and Eastern Europe, 1914–1917
| Date | 01 December 1964 |
| Published date | 01 December 1964 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206401900430 |
| Author | Bohdan B. Budurowycz |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
BOOK REVIEWS
583
wards.
It
is
regrettable
that
firmer
discipline
in
organization
and
focus
could
not
have
been
brought
to
bear, for
Mr.
Fischer
shows
both
learn-
ing
and feeling
concerning
Lenin.
Perhaps
something
of
the
need
for
a
general
tightening
up
of
the
work
is
indicated
in
this
original
epigram
by
Fischer:
"In
other
words,
you
cannot make an
omelette
without
breaking
heads."
University
of
Toronto
ROBERT
H.
McNEAL
RUSSIAN DIPLOMACY
AND
EASTERN
EUROPE,
1914-1917.
By
Alexander
Dalin
et al.
1963.
(New
York:
King's
Crown.
Toronto:
Copp
Clark.
xviii,
305pp.
$7.50)
This volume
consists
of
revised and
abridged
versions
of
six es-
says
prepared
during
the
last
ten
years
under
the
auspices
of
the
inter-
national relations
seminars
of
the
Russian
Institute
at
Columbia
University
and
dealing
with
different aspects
of
Russian
foreign
policy
in
Eastern
Europe
between
the
beginning
of
World
War
I
and
the
February
Revolution
of
1917.
The
essays,
which
thus
represent
a
direct
outgrowth
of
the
research
programme
of one
of
the
leading
centres
of Russian
and
Soviet studies
in
the
United
States,
were
written
"with
no
initial
thought
of
a
symposium";
nevertheless,
they
have
a
certain
topical
unity
and
make
a
definite
contribution
to
our
rather
scanty
knowledge
of
Russian
diplomacy
during
one
of
the
most crucial periods
of
modern
history.
Specifically,
the
authors
are
concerned
with Russia's
war
aims
toward
Germany
and
Austria-Hungary, with
her attitude
toward
the
Polish question
and
the
Italo-Yugoslav
boundary
issue,
and
with
the
failure
of
Russian
diplomacy
in
Bulgaria and
Rumania.
Because
of
this
topical
approach,
there
is
no
attempt
to
discuss
the
problem of
Con-
stantinople
and
the
Straits or
to
engage
in
a
detailed
analysis
of
Russian
foreign
policy
as
a
whole,
although
most
of
the
contributors
stress
its
remarkable
lack
of
congruity and
consistency.
Fortunately,
Professor
Henry
L.
Roberts
deals
with
these
controversial
questions
at
some
length
in
his
illuminating
introduction;
he also
makes
an
inter-
esting
comparison between
the
war
aims
of
the
Tsarist
government
in
1914-1917
and
those
of
the
Soviet
government
in
1941-45.
Generally
speaking,
the
authors
have
shown
a
sense of
discretion
and
relevance
in
their
selection
of
material
and
have
approached
their
particular
topics
with
imagination
and
discernment.
Such
limitations
of
this
otherwise
excellent
volume
as
the
failure
of
some
contributors
to
substantiate
and
to
formulate
more
clearly
their
main
conclusions
are,
perhaps,
unavoidable
in
a
venture
of
this
kind,
and
do
not
detract
from
the
fine
job
they
have
done
in synthesizing
a
vast
amount
of
largely
unexploited
documentary
publications
and
other
primary
sources.
As
a
result,
they
have
succeeded
in
producing
a
book
that
is
full
of
interesting
material,
suggestive
insights
and challenging
argu-
ments.
University
of
Toronto
BOHDAN
B.
BuDURowycz
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