What do you recommend reading for the centenary of the Russian Revolution?

19 posts / 0 new
Login or register to post comments
Last post
#1
Top
herz2
Offline
Joined: 16-12-16
Feb 1 2017 13:02
What do you recommend reading for the centenary of the Russian Revolution?

This year there will be an outpouring of writings on the Russian Revolution - many of which will, unfortunately, downplay the role of 'ordinary' peasants and workers.

Here's a place to list readings that tell the real history of the revolution. What would libcommers recommend?

To start us off, here's some writings on the February Revolution - which began on 8 March, International Women's Day, 1917:

Choi Chatterjee, Celebrating Women; Gender, Festival, Culture and Bolshevik Ideology, p43-54.

Temma Kaplan, 'Women and Communal Strikes in the Crisis of 1917-1922'.

Jane McDermid and Anna Hillyar, Midwives of the Revolution, especially p147-157.

Anne Bobroff-Hajal, Working Women in Russia under the Hunger Tsars: political activism and daily life

... Also check out https://socialhistories1917.wordpress.com/ for recordings of recent talks on the revolution.

#2
Top
jondwhite's picture
jondwhite
Offline
Joined: 23-10-12
Feb 1 2017 16:07

Simon Pirani
https://libcom.org/history/russian-revolution-retreat-1920-24-soviet-workers-new-communist-elite-simon-pirani

Maurice Brinton
https://libcom.org/library/the-bolsheviks-and-workers-control-solidarity-group

#3
Top
David in Atlanta
Offline
Joined: 21-04-06
Feb 1 2017 19:40

The unknown revolution, 1917-1921 - Volin

#4
Top
mikail firtinaci's picture
mikail firtinaci
Offline
Joined: 16-12-06
Feb 1 2017 22:30

My personal favorites:

John Reed - Ten Days That Shook the World

Alexander Rabinowitch - The Bolsheviks Come to Power

Victor Serge - Memoirs of a Revolutionary (not specifically on 1917, but still a great work)

#5
Top
S. Artesian
Offline
Joined: 5-02-09
Feb 1 2017 22:46

I don't think we can leave out Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution; disagree with elements of it, but there can be no denying the importance of the work and the exposition on uneven and combined development.

#6
Top
Red Marriott's picture
Red Marriott
Offline
Joined: 7-05-06
Feb 1 2017 23:14

The Russian Enigma - Ante Ciliga
http://libcom.org/library/russian-enigma-ante-ciliga

http://libcom.org/tags/kronstadt
http://libcom.org/library/the-kronstadt-uprising-ida-mett

http://libcom.org/tags/makhnovists
http://libcom.org/history/history-makhnovist-movement-1918-1921-peter-ar...

#7
Top
Entdinglichung's picture
Entdinglichung
Offline
Joined: 2-07-08
Feb 2 2017 10:03

only available in German and the first volume since a few years in French: Illustrierte Geschichte der russischen Revolution 1917 (1928) and Illustrierte Geschichte des Bürgerkrieges in Russland 1917-1921 (1929) by W. Astrow, A. Slepkow and J. Thomas

#8
Top
Anarcho
Offline
Joined: 22-10-06
Feb 3 2017 19:00

Not to blow my own trumpet, but section H.6 of An Anarchist FAQ is of interest -- it summarises the key events as well as working class protest against the Bolsheviks:

Quote:
H.6 Why did the Russian Revolution fail?

H.6.1 Can objective factors explain the failure of the Russian Revolution?
H.6.2 Did Bolshevik ideology influence the outcome of the Russian Revolution?
H.6.3 Were the Russian workers "declassed" and "atomised"?

Other parts of section H cover other aspects of the period -- such as workers' control, vanguardism, etc. It quotes lots of books for further reading.

I would also recommend Goldman's My Disillusionment in Russia and Berkman's The Bolshevik Myth (both on "Anarchist Archive") There is also a new collection of their rarer articles available, as reviewed here.

I have also reviewed a fair share of books on the Russian Revolution and these can be found on "Anarchist Writers"

#9
Top
Pennoid's picture
Pennoid
Offline
Joined: 18-02-12
Feb 4 2017 13:05

Lenin's State and Revolution.
Rabinowich is good.
Lars Lih short Bio of Lenin.
Rex Wade's book is good
John Riddell's Edit on Comintern I've heard to be good. Here's a review: http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/950/comintern-review-not-a-school-of-strategy/

#10
Top
Entdinglichung's picture
Entdinglichung
Offline
Joined: 2-07-08
Feb 6 2017 08:04

Links (the Australian ex-DSP's international webjournal) is currently publishing a series of leaflets from 1917: The View from the Streets: Leaflets of the Russian revolution

#11
Top
Haust
Offline
Joined: 20-05-12
Feb 16 2017 12:29

any thoughts on john marot's book?

#12
Top
Mark.
Offline
Joined: 11-02-07
Feb 16 2017 14:24

Has anyone read this book by Jonathan Smele?

The ‘Russian’ Civil Wars, 1916-1926: Ten Years That Shook the World

#13
Top
herz2
Offline
Joined: 16-12-16
Mar 8 2017 18:03

Here are more great readings on the Russian revolution. They range from Rabinowitch on the excitement of the July Days to Steve Smith on the factory committees to Rosenberg on the crisis of spring 1918. Chris Read's history is, perhaps, the best short history of the period in that it also emphasises the revolution from below.

Alexander Rabinowitch, Prelude to Revolution.

Steve Smith, Red Petrograd: Revolution in the Factories.

Chris Read, From Tsar to Soviets: The Russian People and Their Revolution, 1917-21.

William Rosenberg, 'Russian Labour and Bolshevik Power after October'.

#14
Top
Reddebrek's picture
Reddebrek
Offline
Joined: 4-01-12
Mar 16 2017 22:35

Anyone doing extensive reading on the revolution should definitely read Victor Serge's Conquered City.

Its fictional but its based on his actual experiences in Petrograd during that time and really helps to cut through the jargon and make sense of all those names, factions and events.

#15
Top
mikail firtinaci's picture
mikail firtinaci
Offline
Joined: 16-12-06
Mar 17 2017 00:45

Best academic books on the February Revolution:

- Eduard Nikolaevich Burdzalov, "Russia's Second Revolution: The February 1917 Uprising in Petrograd"
- Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, "The February Revolution: Petrograd 1917"

#16
Top
petey
Offline
Joined: 13-10-05
Mar 17 2017 01:49

also see ...

http://libcom.org/library/russian-revolution-1917-further-reading-guide

#17
Top
Anarcho
Offline
Joined: 22-10-06
Mar 22 2017 21:06
mikail firtinaci wrote:
Victor Serge - Memoirs of a Revolutionary (not specifically on 1917, but still a great work)

His memoirs are selective and self-serving -- and not reliable for much (particularly his attempts to portray himself as some-sort of libertarian critic of Bolshevism in the early 1920s when all the evidence shows him to be a defender of it).

For details see my: Victor Serge: The Worst of the Anarchists

#18
Top
Anarcho
Offline
Joined: 22-10-06
Mar 22 2017 21:09
Pennoid wrote:
Lenin's State and Revolution.
Rabinowich is good.

Rabinowitch is good -- particularly The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd (see my review).

As for Lenin's book, well, may I suggest: H.1.7 Haven't you read Lenin's "State and Revolution"?

#19
Top
potrokin
Offline
Joined: 28-05-16
Mar 23 2017 10:30
Anarcho wrote:
Pennoid wrote:
Lenin's State and Revolution.
Rabinowich is good.

Rabinowitch is good -- particularly The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd (see my review).

[/url]

Hey, that would be my recommendation aswell.