The first English translation of an official Soviet history of the Russian Civil War first published in the late 1920s. It has been translated and edited by Richard W. Harrison, who supplied numerous endnotes, mostly of a biographical character, for the non-specialist reader.

"This volume provides an in-depth description and analysis of the of the civil war's major operations along the numerous fronts, from the North Caucasus, the Don and Volga rivers, the White Sea area, the Baltic States and Ukraine, as well as Siberia and Poland. It also offers a well-argued case for the political reasons behind the Bolsheviks' military strategy and eventual success against their White opponents."