Brinegar has mined the Soviet archives to reconstruct the complex politics around the consolidation of Soviet power in the oil-rich province of Baku. In the decade following the 1917 revolution, a colorful cast of characters struggled to reconcile the contradictions of building a socialist island in a global capitalist sea. She shows that nothing was inevitable about that history.

Peter Rutland, Professor of Russian studies, Wesleyan University, USA

Brinegar brings to us the heretofore untold but epic story of the battle for energy in the Soviet Caucasus, a battle ultimately won by Stalin, who adroitly enlisted locals to outflank, undercut, and eliminate potential opponents one after another. Carefully researched and essential reading.

Michael A. Reynolds, Associate Professor, Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University, USA

A welcome addition to the expanding scholarship on the relationship between natural resources and Soviet state power.

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