{"product_id":"historys-greatest-heist-sean-mcmeekin-9780300135589","title":"History's Greatest Heist: The Looting of Russia by the Bolsheviks","description":"Historians have never resolved a central mystery of the Russian Revolution: How did the Bolsheviks, despite facing a world of enemies and leaving nothing but economic ruin in their path, manage to stay in power through five long years of civil war? In this penetrating book, Sean McMeekin draws on previously undiscovered materials from the Soviet Ministry of Finance and other European and American archives to expose some of the darkest secrets of Russia's early days of communism. Building on one archival revelation after another, the author reveals how the Bolsheviks financed their aggression through astonishingly extensive thievery. Their looting included everything from the cash savings of private citizens to gold, silver, diamonds, jewelry, icons, antiques, and artwork. By tracking illicit Soviet financial transactions across Europe, McMeekin shows how Lenin's regime accomplished history's greatest heist between 1917 and 1922 and turned centuries of accumulated wealth into the sinews of class war. McMeekin also names names, introducing for the first time the compliant bankers, lawyers, and middlemen who, for a price, helped the Bolsheviks launder their loot, impoverish Russia, and impose their brutal will on millions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Sean McMeekin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0300135580\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780300135589\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Yale University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/01\/2008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.32h x 6.44w x 1.05d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/12\/2008 pg. 24\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Yorker (The)\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/19\/2009 pg. 75\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2009","brand":"Sean McMeekin","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43995509391615,"sku":"9780300135589","price":74.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_7e6ce9cd-8f98-48aa-8d11-f48acb000703.jpg?v=1683336222","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/historys-greatest-heist-sean-mcmeekin-9780300135589","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}