Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution

by Alan Woods

Eighteen years after it was first published, Wellred Books proudly presents the second edition of The Road to Revolution .

" The history of the Bolshevik party contains valuable lessons for today's struggle for socialism, and Alan Woods has performed a service by making this history accessible to a new generation of militants. " Revolutionary History There have been a multitude of histories of Russia, either written from an anti-Bolshevik perspective, or its Stalinist mirror image, which both paint a false image of Bolshevism. For them, the Russian Revolution was either an historical 'accident' or 'tragedy', or is presented as the work of one great man (Lenin), who marched single-mindedly towards October. Using a wealth of primary sources, Alan Woods reveals the real evolution of Bolshevism as a living struggle to apply the method of Marxism to the peculiarities of Russia. Woods traces this evolution from the birth of Russian Marxism, and its ideological struggle against the Narodniks and the trend of economism, through the struggle between the two strands of Menshevism and Bolshevism, and up to the eventual seizure of power. On the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, this book, which represents the authoritative work on the building of the Bolshevik Party, can be used as a handbook for those involved in the movement today.

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

740 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

Alan Woods is a Trotskyist political theorist. He is one of the leading members of the British group Socialist Appeal as well as its parent group, the International Marxist Tendency (IMT). He is political editor of the IMT's In Defence of Marxism website.

Woods supported the Militant tendency within the UK Labour Party until the early 1990s, when he and Ted Grant were expelled from the tendency and founded the Committee for a Marxist International (soon renamed International Marxist Tendency) in 1992. They continued with the policy of entryism into the Labour Party.

Woods has been particularly vocal in his support for the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, and has repeatedly met with the socialist Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, leading to speculation he was a close political adviser.

Reviews

[G Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read for any revolutionary.
Nowhere else will you find such detailed analysis of the history of Bolshevism. This book provides vital lessons that must be absorbed by the working class movement today.

[Mazen · Rating 5 out of 5]

مجهود تأريخي ممتاز لواحدة من أهم الثورات في التاريخ و هي الثورة البلشفية في الإمبراطورية الروسية، يؤرخ الكاتب تكون الحزب البلشفي داخل الحركة العمالية و يرصد بدقة و تفنيد شديدين و مناطق الخلاف مع المناشفة و الإصلاحيين داخل الدوما. الثورة البلشفية لم تكن نزهة او وحي نزل علي لينين و أتباعه، و انما صراع و كفاح حقيقي راح ضحيته عشرات الالاف و حرب أهلية اشتركت فيها جيوش العالم كلها تقريبًا لتفكيك روسيا، و كانت الثورة المضادة خطوة بخطوة للانقضاض علي الثورة و تصفيتها فور ولادتها. ما أدهشني هو كما الأخطاء و التغييرات التي حدثت أثناء بناء الحزب و كم النضال و التضحيات و التفاني في العمل و انكار من عمالقة مثل لينين و تروتسكي في تلك المرحلة. الكتاب يشبه مشاهدة فيلم وثائقي طويل و أنصح به بشدة.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much information

[Francis Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's do this shit.

[Sam Lovesey · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating history of the evolution of bolshevism through constant struggle. many lessons for today

[Manu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally.....

[Sasha Boucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot express how enlightening this book is for all serious revolutionaries. There are few things as often (correctly) romanticized and feared as revolution and yet equally as often completely misunderstood. It lays bare the non-linear and dialectical nature of revolutionary socialist organizing within and against class society, something which is essential for all socialists to understand. Accompanying this book with Trotsky's 3 volume History of the Russian Revolution as well as the History of the Russian Revolution to Brest-Litovsk has proven to give a very well-rounded grasp of the greatest even ever to have occured in human history...so far.

[Balloonhands · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the most important book you could read on the process of revolution that does an amazing job of not just debunking lies and misconceptions but also deglamorizes revolution

This book is fantastic at laying out the playing field at any moment in history and the in fighting, faction relations, logistic problems, and the absolute will to power it takes for some of these political leaders to succeed. Fantastic experience even if it was a tiny bit overzealous at moments but I think it’s necessary to leave no stone unturned in a book like this

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely useful historical retelling of the years leading up to the October Revolution and the development of Russian Marxism out of Narodnism. As usual, Woods manages to retell what many may consider to be obscure, ancient history in a very vibrant way, allowing the reader to make organic connections between this distant period and the present day.

My version has the cool yellow cover, which is by far the best one.

[Tarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

قرأت الترجمة العربية التي نشرها موقع marxy.com وللاسف لم يتم نشرها بعد على صيغة ورقية.

على العموم الكتاب رائع، فبالرغم من كثرة الكتابات عن تاريخ الثورة الروسية وحول احداثها، الا ان الكتابات بخصوص تاريخ الحزب البلشفي منذ الحلقات الماركسية في نهاية القرن 19 الى عشية الثورة البلشفية، غير متوفرة خاصة في المكتبة العربية. وبالتالي فإن كتاب آلان وودز هو اضافة مهمة في المكتبة الماركسية.

[Vasiliki Mazis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling read

Thrilling, informative, insightful, this book takes us to the very beginnings of Marxism in Russia all the way to the forging of the Bolshevik Party which led the democratic revolution in Russia.
This is a must read

[Debol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous research!

Favorite Trotsky quote:

On behalf of the Military Revolutionary Committee, I declare that the Provisional Government no longer exists! Long live the Military Revolutionary Committee!

[Diarmuid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very accessible account of all the factors that went into the Russian Revolution. Essential reading.

[Andrew Feist · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read.

[Damiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal

[Grant Klausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

You become a different person