Peasant Russia Civil War: The Volga Countryside in Revolution 1917-21 [Paperback]

Orlando Figes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2001

Why and how did the October 1917 revolution occur in Russia? Often overlooked as a crucial factor in the Bolsheviks' victory was the role of the peasantry. Here is an enthralling portrait of this poor but sizable population on the eve of the uprising; of the breakdown of state power in the countryside; and, most important, of the relationship between the serfs and the Bolsheviks during the civil war. An enlightening approach, illustrated with disturbing contemporary images.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Orlando Figes graduated from Cambridge with a double-starred First in History in 1982. He was made Research Fellow at Trinity College in 1984, completing his Ph.D. in 1987. Since joining Cambridge's History Faculty as a University Assistant Lecturer in 1987, he has become Lecturer in History and Teaching Fellow of the College. He is also Chair of History at Birkbeck College, London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Press (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842124218
• ISBN-13: 978-1842124215
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A detailed look at the Peasants, December 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Peasant Russia Civil War: The Volga Countryside in Revolution 1917-21 (Paperback)

Detailed and focussed on the Volga countryside of Russia, 1917-.
If Trotsky and Lenin suceeded in mounting a succesful revolution, why did they succeed in overcoming all opposition and securing the Soviet State?
Through a detailed analysis of the tensions and pressures that ensue. A little narrow in focus for the first-time reader, it would be difficult to get hold of the fdetails firmly. The general reader in depth should try instead People's Tragedy by the same author. This retains the same readabilityy, but you need to be able to place in context some of the developments in the village and their correspondence with events in the Civil War to get all you can out of it.

Something most British BA students of history will want by them when writing essays to give unreproachable quotable stuff, and MA students in the area will want to have opinions upon.