The Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution: 1917-1932--A Review

Author Sheila Fitzpatrick examines in her book, The Russian Revolution: 1917-1932, the most basic aspects of the revolution--causes, the aims, social support, the impact on the Russian society, the political outcome, and the time span of the revolution itself. Her essential theme is that the Russian Revolution differed from other revolutions in that it peculiarly has been described by various historians as ending at different times. Fitzpatrick treats the February and October Revolutions of 1917, the Civil War, the interlude of the New Economic Policy and Stalin's initial Five Year plan as successive stages in the overall revolution (3).

Fitzpatrick compares her view to that of Crane Brinton in Anatomy of Revolution, suggesting that revolutions have a form of their own, passing through the stages of enthusiasm for radical transformation, a zenith of intensity, a phase of disillusionment, and eventual reintegration of the new ideas into order (1). This theme provides the structure for this book as she moves through each revolutionary phase, comparing it to Brinton's anatomy. Her exploration of the historical and political details is thorough and complete with the point of view of a scholarly historian. Her position as Professor of History at the University of Texas in Austin and Visiting Fellow at the Research School of the Australian National University in Canberra gives her views credence and authority. This publication

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een 1917 and 1932 in Russia. The writing is moderate to difficult to read. It presupposes that the reader has a general grasp of history and the events surrounding the Russian Revolution. The level of writing complexity is such that it would be too demanding for an individual who had no background or interest in Soviet history. The style of writing does not paint clear, visual pictures so that one may deeply understand how life was for those people at that time. It is intellectual and abstract. This is not necessarily a criticism, just a fact that limits the book to a particular specific audience. Within that range (probably undergraduate history majors, graduate students in history, and professional historians), the book is interesting and readable. The clear chapter organization helps the reader to follow the comparison of Fitzpatrick's ideas to the Brinton framework. This progression moves forward chronologically in a reasonable, logical manner. The format is tight and concise. Illustrations would be a welcome addition. Only the bright red and yellow cover illustration gives one a visual and emotional feel of the tenor of the times. Each chapter does contain a few colorful examples to assist the reader searching fo

Category: History - T