The History of the Russian Revolution Essay - 1235 Words

The Russian Revolution is a widely studied and seemingly well understood time in modern, European history, boasting a vast wealth of texts and information from those of the likes of Robert Service, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Allan Bullock, Robert Conquest and Jonathan Reed, to name a few, but none is so widely sourced and so heavily relied upon than that of the account of Leon Trotsky, his book â€Å"History of the Russian Revolution† a somewhat firsthand account of the events leading up to the formation of the Soviet Union. There is no doubt that Trotsky’s book, among others, has played a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of the events of The Revolution; but have his personal predilections altered how he portrayed such paramount†¦show more content†¦Figes stating that â€Å"The masses were...largely passive in their demands and actions; the Bolsheviks successfully manipulated and exploited this...† . These views could largely be due to the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œHistory from Above’ standpoint of Liberal historians that did much of the post-Union analysis at the tail end of the Cold War. This forms many of our traditional views of the nature of The Revolution. The view is also entangled with Soviet historical development; many of the preliminary analyses were conducted by the Bolshevik revolutionaries themselves and, as such, they are highly political and driven by the need to establish the legitimacy of the Bolshevik regime. While Trotsky is a standout of these historians for his political dissent and blatant disregard for Stalinist power, he is still one of many. This fact greatly mitigates his effect on the passage of history; his need to legitimise the revolution echoes the sentiments of the Politburo historians such as Mikhail Pokrovsky, one of the foremost Bolshevik Historians of the time and one of Trotsky’s ideological and Historical rivals. While this may be the case for the more information-limited Soviet historians, the more modern, revisionist historians such as Edward Acton, Robert Service, Harold Shukman and Steven Smith have had great exposure to much of the confidential literature, kept secret by the many Soviet Purges and the prolific ‘Iron Curtain’. In the view of Acton â€Å"Russia’s workers wereShow MoreRelatedThe Russian Revolution : A History From The University Of Akron Essay1154 Words   |  5 PagesBarbara Evans Clements, a retired professor of History from the University of Akron, and author of Bolshevik Feminist: The Life of Aleksandra Kollontai (1979), Daughters of Revolution: A History of Women in the USSR (1994), and Bolshevik Women (1997), wrote the article â€Å"Working-Class and Peasant Women in the Russian Revolution, 1917-1923† in 1982 to address a topic she believed other scholars of Russian’s history were overlooking. 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Peasant farmers had long felt thatRead MoreLenin s Legacy Of The Soviet Revolution1531 Words   |  7 PagesLenin’s Legacy â€Å"History will not forgive Revolutionaries for procrastinating when they could be victorious today, while they risk losing much tomorrow, in fact, they risk losing everything† (Vladimir Lenin. Call to Power). Lenin was a persistent Russian ruler who wished to instill his communist views in Russian society at all costs. He was influential in motivating his followers to rise up and overthrow Russia’s weak government which lead to the reformation of Russia’s weak economy. Although LeninRead MoreRussian Revolution And The Soviet Revolution1238 Words   |  5 Pageslives and liberty. This incorporation of force caused repression and unrest amongst the people and the Russian Revolution was essentially an outburst from this. (Columbia Encyclopedia, n.d). The Russian Revolution consisted of two separate strikes in 1917, the first of which overthrew the imperial government and the second strike which placed the Bolshevik party in power. The Russian Revolution evident ly brought a drastic transformation to the government, society and economy of Russia. The communistRead MoreDefining the Concept of Revolution804 Words   |  3 PagesRevolution Revolutions are events that consists of so many different struggles, challenges, bloodshed, complications as well as victory. Revolution refers to a fundamental change in power or governmental structures thats takes place in a comparatively short period of time. Revolutions have been taking place throughout most of human history. Many of these revolutions have its simmilarites and differences. This essay will focus on the Russian Revolution with the help of discussing two theoretical