Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991: A Pelican Introduction (Pelican Books)

Reviews

*happygeek*

What you can expect, and get brilliantly delivered by Figes in this book, is an eminently readable and enjoyable overview of a revolution from the very start to the inevitable finish. To be honest, mainly because I like his writing style and political perspective but also as I appreciate the argument that the Russian Revolution requires framing across a longer period of time than is usually allowed. I loved his 'Peasant Russia, Civil War' title that drew upon Soviet village life archives. Orlando Figes is undoubtedly one of the go-to writers when it comes to the Russian Revolution.

So by looking at it from 1891-1991, Figes takes the position that this one hundred years of history is actually the same revolutionary cycle ending with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Prof. So why, having already absorbed such a detailed account of the history, would I buy this 'introductory' tome by the same author? A People's Tragedy, using the public narrative of the likes of Rasputin and Brusilov to unravel the social and political history of the time.

Let's leave aside the scandal from 2010 that involved the posting of Amazon reviews under various names praising his own books whilst rubbishing those of other academics. Don't expect tons of detail in terms of facts and figures, that would be asking too much of such a short book.