A brilliant examination of the enigmatic man of whom Winston Churchill said "few men tried more, gave more, dared more and suffered more for the Russian people," who is still revered in Russia today. Outside of Russia, the name Boris Savinkov is unfamiliar. But in his homeland, Savinkov remains beloved. Notorious in his lifetime, Boris Savinkov was at various moments a terrorist, a government minister, a renowned novelist, Churchill's advisor on Russia, and finally, a political prisoner of the Soviet Union who resisted the state until his final moments.
Savinkov's fight for
freedom, not ideology, set him apart from the partisan camps of his time (he was neither a "Red" nor a "White") and brought him to Western Europe where he befriended not only political figures but also epoch-defining artists like Modigliani and Diego Rivera.
Filled with entertaining drama and the sweep of twentieth century history,
To Break Russia's Chains shines a light on the character of the Russian state and its role in the world.
Savinkov devoted his life to transforming his home into a democracy. Although we associate Russia with the tyranny of communism and the authoritarianism of Putin today, Savinkov's story serves as a poignant reminder of the Russia that could have been--and what she might still someday become.
