The Russian Revolution, 1917-1918: From the overthrow of the Tsar to the assumption of power by the Bolsheviks

The Russian Revolution #I

by William Henry Chamberlain

The Universal Library.

Genres: History, Russia, Russian History, Nonfiction, Soviet Union

Paperback

First published January 1, 1935

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading book two of this--the Russian Civil War and period of War Communism. A clear concise history, a little military, a little political, a little social. Nice overview, Chamberlin has no obvious bones to pick--and as such, the work's a little bland for entertainment purposes, but a good sense of the significance of events for research--so many histories of the period I've been reading are so dense with 'trees' (political or military)--that one absolutely loses the forest. Not a replacement for such brilliant histories as Alexander Rabinowich's The Bolsheviks in Power, or very bone-in, like Deutscher's The Prophet Armed about Trotsky. Right now I'm quite partial to social history (more useful for the novelist) such as Sheila Fitzpatrick's work, and McAuleys essential Bread and Justice... and contemporary memoirs of the period... so an overview that's a bit bland and simplistic but absolutely clear on the most major political and military events is exactly what I needed right now. A very useful reference.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

A confession: I've had this book for over 20 years; it's one of the books that was assigned for a class I took in college about the Russian Revolution; I've forgotten most of what I learned in that class; I'm fairly certain I did not do the assigned reading.

Originally published in 1935, The Russian Revolution is the first of a two-volume history of the The Russian Revolution and Civil War by William Henry Chamberlin. After a couple chapters of background, this volume covers the overthrow of the Tsar and the establishment of the Provisional Government in March, 1917, through the Bolshevik coup in November of that year, and ends just before the outbreak of Civil War in 1918.

For the most part, Chamberlin, who spent much of the time between the end of the Civil War and publication of the book as a foreign correspondent stationed in Moscow, details the events chronologically and with little analysis. However, there are several sections where he wisely chooses to focus on specific topics outside the chronological framework. And even though analysis is kept to a minimum, it's clear that the lack of a sizable middle class combined with the lack of education for the vast majority of the population meant that the Russian people never had a chance of escaping autocratic rule. Because of its straightforward style, critics on both the left and right accused Chamberlin of being sympathetic with the other side.

The account is rather contemporary -- many of the people were still alive and in power; by comparison, more time has passed between today and the first Gulf War than between this book's publication and the events of 1917. I had the feeling that if I had read it when it first came out, the names and events would have been familiar. But nearly 100 years after the events, and 80 years after publication, they're not, and that lack of familiarity made the book a little challenging.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, though it's probably not general enough for someone with little to no knowledge of the Russian Revolution.

[Velvetink · Rating 4 out of 5]

own it now :). (copy from A).

[Albert Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prime source on the Russian Revolution. Many of the people Chamberlin interviewed were purged by Stalin. This is a two volume work.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Despite being written 75 years ago, it still holds up. Many of the themes and observations would not be fully explored in Western historiography until the 1960s. A must-read for anyone interested in the Russian Revolution.