Russia in revolt: 1905: The first crack in Tsarist power

by David Floyd

Covers a variety of ways of transporting people and goods on land, air, and sea, and discusses environmental issues involved.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A regime or three after the Soviet era in which Russia in Revolt: 1905 was written, this book still delivers. Written by David Floyd, special correspondent on Communist affairs for The Daily Telegraph, the work is succinct and to the point, yet logical and with enough detail to be easily understandable. In other words, it’s some excellent journalism. Numerous historical photos and political cartoons from the era add graphic evidence to the points discussed in the text.

The first serious threats to the Tsarist regime occurred in 1905. Nicholas II, like other tsars, insisted upon absolute autocracy. However, he lacked both strength as a ruler and the ability to assess the power of the opposition. This led not only to his personal downfall, but also to end of the Tsarist era. This book concerns the events that caused the opposition to become stronger: the attrition of the army during the war with Japan, the mutiny on the Potemkin, the general strike in St. Petersburg and unrest among subjugated ethnic minorities, the rise of soviets (regional would-be governments), the general strike in Moscow, the people’s petitions for a Duma (elected Parliament).

Nicholas used the military and police to put down these threats to his power, killing and deporting protesters to Siberia beginning on Bloody Sunday. But this suppression was only temporary. As the book ends, Nicholas has fulfilled his promise to allow a Duma, but dismisses three different Dumas that don’t represent his interests, rearranging voting districts after each. This sets the stage for the next phase of Russian history, where Nicholas makes the fatal decision to lead the Russian troops into WWI, abandoning the capital to fight a war that didn’t make economic sense instead of working to alleviate poverty and starvation in Russia itself.

I recommend this short book to anyone who wants some quick and detailed background on how the monarchy failed and the Bolsheviks succeeded in Russia in the early 20th century. Those interested in photos and political cartoons from this political struggle will also enjoy it.

[Floyd K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review so far (I've just started it): it is what it is, a pretty simple book with lots of pictures. Probably not a bad place for a bright kid to start, no surprises for this adult; Rasputin was 'baleful' also 'depraved', Nicholas 'weak' also 'murdered' by the Bolsheviks. There is a lot of loaded language, also an annoying habit of describing paintings as though they're historical facts ('picture on next page shows how decadent the aristocracy was' kind of thing).

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick overview of 195-1906 with discussion of Tsar and autocracy as they attempt to hold on to power.

[midsizedchillybin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great account of some of the ins-and-outs of the 1905 revolution. It has pictures too!

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, filled with great pictures from the time period, and very easily readable.