Roots of Revolution: A History of the Populist and Socialist Movements in 19th century Russia

by Franco Venturi, Francis Haskell (Translator), Isaiah Berlin (Introduction)

s/t: A History of the Populist and Socialist Movements in 19th Century Russia
Long recognized as a classic, Venturi's authoritative work captures the early and intriguing period of the Russian Revolution. Starting with the 1848 rebellion and ending with the 1881 assassination of Alexander II, it examines Russia's internal and external problems, the ideals and beliefs of her subjects, and, most importantly, the conspiracies and struggles through which populism expressed itself. With a revised author's introduction.
"The most thorough survey of the Russian revolutionary movement before 1881...penetrating and readable, with an admirable balance between biography, theory and action."--TLS.
"...profound and wide-ranging..."--C.V. Wedgwood.

Genres: History, Russia, Russian History, Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Asia

850 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

Reviews

[AHW · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a readable, thorough history of the 19th Century Russian left from the Decembrists to the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. It clearly maps out the controversies & the development from one tendency to the next. It provides good background for 1905 & 1917: the socialistic undertones of the liberal Decembrists - which I was previously unaware of - developing fully into the peasant socialism of Herzen & Chernyshevsky, which provided a jumping-off point for generations of students throwing themselves into underground political work. The growth in that underground of opposing poles: anarchist federalism vs. neo-Jacobin putschist conspiracies, educationalist gradualism vs. anti-intellectual immediatism, moral purism vs. strident immoralism, and eventually, Social Democratic Marxism focused on urban workers vs. neo-Populism retaining the traditional focus on the peasants. Particularly interesting is the dramatic swing from “going to the people” (trying to organize among peasants) to establishing a Northern Union of Russian Workers in the factories, and from there to a renewed Jacobinism with a single-minded focus on killing the Tsar. The period makes a lot more sense as a whole than it does in bits & pieces: Bakunin’s weird fusion of peasant-collectivist anarchism with neo-Jacobin secret societies and fantasies of a “people’s dictator” is historically understandable to me now.

This is good background for Lenin’s Jacobin tendencies and the background of Russian socialist nationalism/“socialism in one country,” too. Highly recommended. I only wish that the translation didn’t include large blocks of untranslated French.

[Erik Graff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this formidable tome up while still at Grinnell College as it had been recommended for a two-semester Russain survey history class taught by Gregory Guroff. My especial interest then was in the intellectual currents behind the revolution. Although much impressed by what I knew of Marxist theory then, ideas excited me more than economics. The contrast between the primitive social conditions of the czarist state and the extreme utopianism of many of its would-be reformers was an intiguing coincidentia oppositorum and, in retrospect, may prefigure my later interest in religious studies. Indeed, at the same time I was also attending Alan Jones' sociology seminar entitled "Utopia and Society."

Now, years later, having done the religion thing and knowing quite a lot more about Marx and Marxism, I finally got down to Venturi's book. On the one hand, I ought to have read it earlier. On the other, I was now much more able to appreciate it.

[Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible exploration of Russian Populism! A magnificent work by Professor Venturi. Zemlya i Volya! "Land and Freedom!"

[Davy Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have this book, but have not read it.
I am donating it.
It is the size of 4 books, and I have some other books in my collection that cover this stuff in a more concise manner.

Available soon in a Resale Shop near me.
Houston north.

[John]

I am an occassional reader of works of Russian history, especially works related to the Revolution of 1917, its aftermath, through the death of Stalin. Venturi's history of the Russian populism and socialism of the 19th century is a seminal work by any measure - the starting point of any investigation of the history of political thought and organization during the 2nd half of the 19th century. Isaiah Berlin's introduction to the book alone is worth its price

[Pippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the great Russian thinkers of the nineteenth century - Hersen, Bakunin, Belinsky and others. Well worth reading.

[Simba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit difficult in places, but a good read at the same time. Just make sure to set aside a lot of time for it, as it's easier to understand the larger chunks you read it in.