Ross’s Reviews > History of the Russian Revolution > Status Update

‘On the vessels where Kerensky did enter into conversation with the sailors, it went no better—especially on the warship Republic whose mood was Bolshevik. Here they questioned the minister on the following points: Why had he voted for war in the State Duma?’ (Cont…)

“Personal meetings between the heads of the government and the chiefs of the army in the first days of August only fanned the fires of their mutual antipathy. "Does that lightweight elocutionist think he can give orders to me?" Kornilov doubtless said to himself. "Does that dull and ignorant Cossack expect to save Russia?" Kerensky could not but think. And they were both right in their way.”

“During the first two months, when the power belonged formally to the government of Guchkov and Miliukov, it was as a fact wholly in the hands of the Soviet. During the following two months the Soviet grew weaker.” (Cont…)

“A prototype of the July Days is to be found in all the old revolutions — with various, but generally speaking unfavorable, and frequently catastrophic, results. This stage is involved in the inner mechanics of a bourgeois revolution, inasmuch as that class which sacrifices most for the success of the revolution and hopes the most from it, receives the least of all.” (Cont…)

“During the month of June those people had well convinced themselves of the strong influence of the Bolsheviks on the masses, and they now simply refused to believe that a movement of workers and soldiers could have surged up over the heads of the Bolsheviks.” (Cont…)

“The throng of workers, hungry and dead-tired, scattered about on the street and in the garden, a majority immediately stretching themselves out, thinking to wait there for an answer.” (1/3)

Finished the appendices, as well as the introduction to volumes 1 and 2, which consists primarily of Trotsky responding to criticism of the first volume from a M.N. Pokrovsky, who Trotsky repeatedly clowns on, but then includes the footnote: “I did not realize he had died while I was working on this criticism. He was brilliant and I’ve heard lovely things” (paraphrase).

Appendix 1 is a pretty good essay on Russia’s unique development in its own right.