Revolution in Russia: Reassessments of 1917

by Edith R. Frankel (Editor), Jonathan Frankel (Editor), Baruch Knei-Paz (Editor)

The Russian Revolution of 1917 continues to be a subject of most intense controversy; and the fundamental questions which have divided observers over the last seventy years still stir fierce debate. In this volume, eighteen leading specialists from different generations, countries and schools of thought, re-examine the key issues and events of that crucial year. Some of the articles examine the unfolding crisis 'from below', describing developments in specific localities or organisations: others put the emphasis on the view as seen 'from above', on Lenin as leader of the Bolshevik party and of the emergent Soviet states. Other contributors explore the roles played by the officer corps, the industrialists, the peasants, the factory workers and the Soviets as well as the part of the Press and the different nationalities. Never before has so comprehensive a selection of original essays on 1917, written in the West, been collected in one volume.

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1992

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair collection of observations on the 1917 Revolution, written during the height of Gorbachev's reforms. It's rather dated, but not without its redeeming moments. A number of chapters, particularly those regarding the peasantry, hint toward some of the studies that would emerge with the opening of archives in the 1990s. Still, considering the range of scholars involved, this volume is a disappointment.