Germans Under the Tsars, Lenin, and Stalin

In the "Introduction by the Historical Editor" written by Steven Herzog, Ph.D., he states: "The value of this book, therefore, lies in the perspective of its author, John Philipps. Even though he is not a professional historian, he is admirably conversant in the basic outlines of Russian history. In particular, he leans heavily on the iconic works of Conrad Keller and Dr. Karl Stumpp for discussion of immigration into Russia and the formation of the German colonies. More importantly, as an eyewitness to conditions in German-Russian communities, John Philipps adds texture and detail to the framework that Keller and Stumpp and others have provided. His account, supplemented with an array of photos and maps, adds immediacy to these infamous benchmarks of Soviet history and gives us a sense of how they impacted German communities specifically."

"John Philipps's book provides a unique and important contribution: the bird's-eye view of a historical narrative coupled with the on-the-ground perspective of someone who lived his formative years in a German-Russian community."

About the author:

As German-Russian, John (Johannes) Philipps was born in the Beresan colony of Landau and grew up in a farming family who, however, was already expelled early from their home. He studied agronomy and later worked at the MTS-Waterloo. His youth was overshadowed by poverty and hunger even though he came from a well-to-do farming family. He experienced the deprivation of citizen rights and wrenching deportation of his family, was captured by British troops and finally uprooted without a country, petitioned for emigration to the United States of America. After he had conquered initial difficulties, he arrived finally in New York, in 1952. He moved to California in 1955, where he accepted U.S. citizenship. John Philipps experienced Stalin's destructive politics and after World War II, Philipps came to America where he could build a new home in a new homeland.