Red Mutiny: Eleven Fateful Days on the Battleship Potemkin

by Neal Bascomb

Book Overview

The true story of the deadliest naval mutiny in history. For readers of Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October and Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea, Neal Bascomb's gripping adventure at sea is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618592067
• ISBN13: 9780618592067
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 386 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Red Mutiny is an excellent historical review

This book explains the seeds of the ultimate Russian Revolution in 1917. It reads like an adventure novel.

Best I've read on the subject

People WILL disagree, when the subject is so polarizing. I thought this was very well written, the endnoting is very thorough ("If it ain't got endnotes, it ain't history!"), and I thought it was relatively balanced in approach. I also thought it was the most accessible and clearest discussion of the _Potemkin_ I've read, and I'd suggest that it's an excellent base for further reading about the Russian revolution. Two thumbs up!

A Great Read - and a lesson in politcal leadership

The book's a great read regardless of factual content. I've not researched the events to agree or disagree with a previous reviewer's comment on the "credulous" nature of the book. However, events later in 1917 tend to give credence to the author's depiction of the Tsarist's regime (officers) as autocratic and unfair to a large segment of the population. This is poignantly depicted by the treatment of the crew by the "Dragons" -- officers -- all of which HAD to be from the nobility. Contrast this to an American naval crew of the same era and I have a hardtime believing that American sailors would have tolerated even 1/5 of what the Russians did before mutiny. I contrast this to the system of meritocracy fairly widespread among today's western democracies: it allows for genetic drift. What has 'genetic drift' have to do with this book? Genetic drift means that sometimes really intelligient and energetic children can come from parents who aren't. After reading the book I was struck by the wide talents of the "peasant" and "serf" crew. They navigated the ship, they continued all the activities complete with successful tactical battle manuevers against a squadron of five other Russian battleships, they dealt with the political intrigues of the various port officials and Russian commanders, and they kept the moral high ground by not descending into piracy or wanton acts of retialiation against ports that would not give them supply or help, etc. They were offered to sell the battleship to Romanian officials and get sanctuary in that country but declined the money responding "We'd like to buy a Romanian warship." Modern democratic systems allow a path for people born in the lower social-economic strata to work their way out if they are intelligient and ambitious. Napoleon was a master at this (Murat, Davout, etc). These type of folk (competent 'low-born') are the ones in the crew that performed the feats mentioned above. With a way to work out of their poverty and lack of respect, these same capable people could have been channeled to help Russian society rather than rebel against it. The Tsarist regime didn't allow for that, and thus was ultimately destined to fail. Once signficant parts of the lower classes began to read and think and could compare their lot to western counterparts, 1917 was only a WW1 shock away. Unfortunately the Russian Revolution and its initial democratic and freedom goals were taken over by Josef Stalin and we all know the unfortunate outcomes of the 20th Century. The book is a great read because it puts today into perspective and made me understand the 1917 revolution from a 1776 point of view rather than "be afraid of the Reds" view that was so prevalent during the Cold War. And it puts this into perspective through real live sailors in 1905. In that, it is successful because it speaks moral lessons to us today.

REd MUtiny

Great book, captivates intrest in way you don't want to put it down in some sections. A turn of the 20th century account of the beginnings of Revolutionary Russia. Worth every penny.

An excellent book on an event not often covered in English language literature.

It must be understood that while no doubt hundreds of books in whole and part about the Potemkin mutiny exist, only a few were written in or translated into English. While many people are familiar with the 1922 Eisenstein film "Battleship Potemkin," which has enjoyed a world audience and international laurels, few understand the greater significance of the events that took place that fateful summer in 1905. In "Red Mutiny," Neal Bascomb has presented his well researched vision of the mutiny, its roots and its subsequent conclusion. It is interesting how the events that caused sailors to revolt against the Imperial Russian Navy can easily be coupled loosely with current events. The great shame of the Potemkin mutiny is the condemnation by the international community and reluctance to support revolution despite the obvious injustice Russians faced under the Tsar. It is very telling how nearly all national governments, even the U.S., feared the Potemkin mutiny as a threat to their own political stability and condemned the mutineers. Bascomb navigates the oft propagandized nature of the mutiny by Communist elements to discern clearly that the mutiny was not based on Bolshevik goals. The mutineers of the Potemkin were not pushing a political agenda as much as they simply sought to be treated with some modest decency. While sailors throughout time have suffered similar injustices, Potemkin's mutineers had simply had enough, all the while Russian Naval leadership allowed seditious sentiment to incubate within the lower ranks. An excellent book, and based on the source material it is a book that was very carefully researched. REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ, READERS, AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS DESERVE YOUR OPINIONS.

Red Mutiny: Eleven Fateful Days on the Battleship Potemkin, a real thriller.

I recently read the nonfiction thriller, Red Mutiny by Neal Bascomb, at the emphatic urging of my husband. While I'm not normally drawn to naval history or mutiny books, this one is a winner. It is a swashbuckling tale of mutiny aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin in June of 1905. The cruelty of the officers forcing the crew to eat maggot-infested meat served as a "tipping point" of accumulated abuses imposed on an entire working class, and in this case, sailors serving the Czar during a disastrous and ill-advised war with Japan. Bascomb has a gift for the narrative and keeps us involved with the characters and on the edge of our seats as he recreates battle scenes and political strife both on land and aboard ship. He also draws a fascinating and maddening parallel between suffering of the people (particularly those in Odessa) and a rather detached and pampered Czar Nicholas II going about his usual life of opulence. By contrast, the heroic leader of the mutiny, Matyushenko, is shown to be a brave and principled revolutionary who refuses to fire on other sailors and civilians forced onto the steps of Odessa. His amazingly heroic dash between the powerful guns of other battleships makes him a legendary figure and one who inspires others to pick up the banner of revolt. While this particular moment may have failed, it is certainly a significant moment in the early stages of the Russian revolution. I think you will find yourself completely engaged in this tale and with its young revolutionary leaders. It's a great read!

Ranks Among the Great Mutiny and Sea Adventure Books

I just read this over the weekend -- what an incredible book! I became a fan of Neal Bascomb's when I discovered his first book, Higher, a few years ago. His stories are varied (architecture, running, and now mutiny), but they're all wonderfully engaging and keep you on the edge of your seat. I knew very little about the Potemkin mutiny before reading this book, and I can't believe it hasn't been the subject of a big book or movie (other than Eisenstein's famed The Battleship Potemkin from nearly a hundred years ago) before. This is an incredible story of bravery as a revolutionary called Matyushenko rallies his fellow sailors to overthrow their officers and take over the largest battleship in the Russian fleet. What follows is a harrowing 11 days as they attempt to spread the revolution to the rest of the Russian fleet, and to the peasants on land (most notably in Odessa). It's an incredible testament to the lengths people will go to for the sake of freedom. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who enjoys a great naval/sea adventure a la Patrick O'Brien!