The way in which the Russian Revolution of October 1917 is regarded and commemorated has changed considerably over time, and is a contentious subject, well demonstrated by the absence of any official commemoration in Russia in 2017, a huge contrast to the very large celebrations which took place in Soviet times. This book, which brings together a range of leading historians of the Russian Revolution--from both Russia and the West, and both younger and older historians--explores the changes in the way in which the October 1917 Revolution is commemorated, and also examines fundamental questions about what the Russian Revolution--indeed what any revolution--was anyway. Among the issues covered are how Soviet and Western historians diverged in their early assessments of what the Revolution achieved, how the period studied by historians has recently extended both much earlier before 1917 and much later afterwards, and how views of the Revolution within the Soviet Union changed over time from acceptance of the official Communist Party interpretation to more independent viewpoints. Overall, the book provides a major reassessment of one of the twentieth century's most important events.

Author: Carol S. Leonard
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 07/30/2024
Series: Basees/Routledge Russian and East European Studies
Pages: 302
Weight: 1.39lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.75d
ISBN: 9780367146917

About the Author

Carol S. Leonard is Director of the Center for Russian Studies, International Laboratory: Russia's Historical Legacies and Regional Development at the Presidential Academy of the National Economy and Public Administration, Moscow

Daniel Orlovsky is Professor of History at Southern Methodist University

Jurej Petrov is Director of the Institute of Russian History at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow