Book detail: Bolshevism and the Russian Revolution is presented as a focused source page for quotations connected with this book, collection, transcript, or source record.
This work addresses the theoretical and practical dimensions of Bolshevism as a revolutionary doctrine that emerged from Russian Marxist debates in the early twentieth century. The text explores how the Bolshevik faction, led by Vladimir Lenin, developed distinctive organizational principles and strategic approaches that distinguished it from other socialist currents. It traces the movement's evolution from underground party activity through its seizure of state authority in October 1917, analyzing the intersection of ideological commitment, political circumstance, and social upheaval that enabled this transformation. The book considers how Bolshevik conceptions of revolutionary leadership, class alliance, and state formation were tested and modified during the transition from opposition to governance, including the challenges of civil war, economic collapse, and international isolation. The treatment encompasses the tension between democratic aspirations and authoritarian imperatives within the revolutionary project, as well as the institutional and cultural legacies that emerged from this period of fundamental social reconstruction.
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