Quote by Orlando Figes

This work presents a narrative history of the Russian Revolution, tracing the period from the final years of the Romanov dynasty through the civil war and early Soviet consolidation. The book situates the revolutionary events within broader contexts of social transformation, examining how the aspirations of various social groups—including workers, peasants, soldiers, and intellectuals—interacted with the political struggles between the Provisional Government and the Bolshevik Party. Drawing on archival sources and contemporary accounts, the study emphasizes the destructive consequences of revolutionary violence, economic collapse, and political extremism for ordinary people across the former Russian Empire. The analysis encompasses key episodes including the February Revolution, the October seizure of power, the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, and the Red Terror, while attending to regional variations and the experiences of non-Russian nationalities within the revolutionary process. more