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VOLUME I - FROM REVOLUTION TO WAR
Freedom or Death! With this slogan in 1991 Chechnya proclaimed independence. A people of a million souls, led by General Dzhokhar Dudaev, challenged the authority of the Soviet Union. This book traces the troubled history of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, never recognized by any government, yet capable of exercising its authority for a decade, and to continue to exist today, almost thirty years after its constitution, albeit in the form of government in exile. It is the story of a visionary political experiment, capable of inspiring a people to the point of challenging one of the greatest powers on the planet, convinced that it can win armed only with its faith. And, incredibly, capable of really winning, forcing Russia to bow its head. But it is also the story of an idea that did not stand up to reality: misery, religious fanaticism, military anarchy were the constants that dragged independent Chechnya into two devastating conflicts, from which the country came out totally destroyed, prey to the lords of war, fundamentalism and the brutality of an occupying army. A complete chronicle of the entire parable carried out by Chechen independence, from the Revolution of autumn 1991 to the present day.
The first volume of this series deals with the period between the so-called Chechen Revolution of autumn 1991 and the outbreak of the First Chechen War, with an in-depth introduction to the history of the Vaynakhs and the evolution of Russian-Chechen relations. |
