The Russian Revolution : a new history In The Russian Revolution historian Sean McMeekin traces the origins and events of the Russian Revolution which brought an end to Romanov rule and ushered the Bolsheviks into power. Between the dawn of the 20th century and 1920 Russia underwent a complete and irreversible transformation the effects of which would reverberate throughout the world for decades to come. At the turn of the century the Russian economy which still trailed behind Britain France Germany and the U.S. was growing by about 10% annually and its population had reached 150 million. But by 1920 a new regime was in place the country was in desperate financial straits and between 20 and 25 million Russians had died during the Revolution and the Civil War the Red Terror and the economic collapse that followed. Still Bolshevik power remained intact through a remarkable combination of military prowess violent terror tactics and the bumbling failures of their opposition. And as McMeekin shows they were aided at nearly every step by countries like Germany Sweden and Switzerland who sought to benefit politically and economically from the chaotic changes overtaking the country