Written from the perspective of the factory worker and peasant at the ground level, this study of Russia during the Revolution 1917-21 aims to shed light on the realities of living through and participating in these tumultuous events. The book is intended for undergraduate courses in history, Soviet studies, and politics.
Part 1 Collapse of a system: why was Russia revolutionary?; the revolution of 1905 and after; the contours of national politics - Petrograd, the provisional government and the Soviet; streets, factories, workshops, mines; fields, forests, villages, estates; barracks, battleships, the line. Part 2 Constructing a new order: the popular movement and the political parties; the contours of national politics, 1917-21; the Bolshevik dictatorship; the popular movement in the revolutionary war; anti-Bolshevik insurrections; the end of the revolution; conclusion - revolutions in collision.
