Overview

The Bolsheviks Come to Power is one of the most important histories of the Russian Revolution to challenge the mainstream narratives. Originally published to great acclaim in 2004, this new edition marks the 100th anniversary of one of the explosive and game-changing moments in modern times. In this absorbing narrative, Alexander Rabinowitch counters the claims by mainstream historians that the revolution was a military coup led by Lenin and a small band of fanatics. He refutes the Soviet myth that the party's triumph in the October Revolution was inevitable, and explains the ebbs and flows of the revolutionary period, tracing the moods of the working class and the political positions of the Bolsheviks at different historical moments, including the immediate aftermath of the February Revolution, the July Days, the Kornilov affair, and up to and including the October Revolution itself. Drawn from a wealth of primary sources and archival material, this new edition of Rabinowitch's classic account is a must-have for anyone interested in clearing away the tired platitudes of mainstream historians, and reclaiming the revolution on this important anniversary.

Full Product Details

Author:   Alexander Rabinowitch
Publisher:   Pluto Press
Imprint:   Pluto Press
Edition:   2nd edition
Weight:   0.675kg
ISBN:  

9780745399980

ISBN 10:   0745399983
Pages:   464
Publication Date:   20 May 2017
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Note on Transliteration, Dates and Terminology Preface to the Centenary Edition Introduction 1. The July Uprising 2. The Bolsheviks Under Fire 3. Petrograd During the Reaction 4. The Ineffectiveness of Repression 5. The Bolshevik Resurgence 6. The Rise of Kornilov 7. Kornilov versus Kerensky 8. The Bolsheviks and Kornilov’s Defeat 9. The Question of a New Government 10. 'All Power to the Soviets!' 11. Lenin’s Campaign for an Insurrection 12. Obstacles to an Uprising 13. The Garrison Crisis and the Military Revolutionary Committee 14. On the Eve 15. The Bolsheviks Come to Power 16. Epilogue Notes Selected Bibliography Index

Reviews

'I know of no previous work which has so skillfully presented the fluctuating state of the mood of the 'masses' in the Russian capital in those fateful months.' -- Leonard Shapiro, New York Review of Books The Bolsheviks Come to Power remains the best book on the 1917 Russian revolution-a seminal study of events that shaped history for decades and continues to do so even today. Both political and social history, it greatly expands on our detailed knowledge of the turbulent events of that year, while deepening and revising our understanding of the Bolshevik Party and the social factors that brought it to power. -- Stephen F. Cohen, New York University ...a brilliant, convincing, and exciting book. -- Stanley Plastrik, Dissent Essential reading...with a narrative skill which all too few historians could match. -- Robert M. Slusser, Baltimore Sun [Rabinowitch] draws together the sequence of events in Petrograd, the mass moods there, and the role of the party, all the while demonstrating the reciprocal effects of each set of factors on one another...a vivid picture of politics in 1917. -- Louis Menashe, Radical History Review

'Draws together the sequence of events in Petrograd, the mass moods there, and the role of the party, all the while demonstrating the reciprocal effects of each set of factors on one another...a vivid picture of politics in 1917' -- Louis Menashe, Radical History Review 'Essential reading...with a narrative skill which all too few historians could match' -- Robert M. Slusser, Baltimore Sun 'A brilliant, convincing, and exciting book' -- Stanley Plastrik, Dissent 'Remains the best book on the 1917 Russian revolution-a seminal study of events that shaped history for decades and continues to do so even today' -- Stephen F. Cohen, New York University 'I know of no previous work which has so skilfully presented the fluctuating state of the mood of the 'masses' in the Russian capital in those fateful months' -- Leonard Shapiro, New York Review of Books

'Draws together the sequence of events in Petrograd, the mass moods there, and the role of the party, all the while demonstrating the reciprocal effects of each set of factors on one another...a vivid picture of politics in 1917' -- Louis Menashe, Radical History Review 'Essential reading...with a narrative skill which all too few historians could match' -- Robert M. Slusser, Baltimore Sun 'A brilliant, convincing, and exciting book' -- Stanley Plastrik, Dissent 'Remains the best book on the 1917 Russian revolution - a seminal study of events that shaped history for decades and continues to do so even today' -- Stephen F. Cohen, New York University 'I know of no previous work which has so skilfully presented the fluctuating state of the mood of the 'masses' in the Russian capital in those fateful months' -- Leonard Shapiro, New York Review of Books

Author Information

Alexander Rabinowitch is an Affiliated Research Scholar at St. Petersburg Institute of History, Russian Academy of Sciences. Between 1968-1999 he was Professor of History at Indiana University. He is the author of the classic The Bolsheviks Come to Power (Pluto, 2017), Prelude to Revolution (Indiana University Press, 1991), and The Bolsheviks in Power (Indiana University Press, 2008).

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