Customer Reviews

Revolutionary Russia, 1917

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A very readable explanation of how the Communists took power in Russia. It has been described as the Bolsheviks picking power off the debris of the old regime. In matter of fact, the Bolsheviks under Lenin plotted the demise of the Provisional Government by seizing the initiative from such groups as the Kadets, Mensheviks, and Social Revolutionaries and taking a radical position on the war, land, bread, and other positions. When they took the position on the Military Council, it was the shove that removed the Provisional Government from power. Thompson does a great job of detailing the relationship between the Soviets and the Provisional Government.

This a short readable account of how and why the Communists came to power. I learned a great deal about the power relationships in 1917 Petrograd, when the Czarist regime crumbled in March and the Provisional Government fell apart in November. A nice read.

This book is a solid, workmanlike explanation of the different interest groups jockeying for power after the fall of the Tsar in March of 1917. It's helpful that Thompson is not afraid to express his own opinions about how the events could have possibly turned out otherwise and that he clearly marks where his opinions diverge from others and gives his reasons for deviating.

This isn't a stunning or relevatory work, but it's very readable and offers a good description of how a tightly organized and disciplined minority can seize power over a broader, pluralistic coalition representing the majority. Sound familiar?

A totally felt that Thompson stressed the most importtant aspects of the revolution. The knowledge he exhibited was large.