Intelligentsia and Revolution: Russian Views of Bolshevism, 1917-1922

ISBN-13: 9780195045734 / Angielski / Miękka / 1989 / 352 str.

Jane Burbank

Opis

Over the five years following the Russian revolution of 1917 there occurred a brilliant outburst of theory and criticism among Russian intellectuals struggling to comprehend their country's vast social upheaval. Much of their intense speculation focused on issues that are still hotly debated: Was this socialism? Why had the revolution happened in Russia? What did Bolshevik power mean for Russia and the Western world? This compelling study recovers these early responses to 1917 and analyzes the specific ideological context out of which they emerged. Jane Burbank explores the ideas and experiences of diverse prominent intellectuals, ranging from the monarchists on the right to the Mensheviks, Socialist revolutionaries, and Anarchists on the left. Following these thinkers through the turbulent years of civil war and rebuilding of state power, Burbank shows how revolution both revitalized their political culture and exposed the fragile basis of its existence.

Recenzje

`An important and original book. Dealing with the period of the Revolution, Civil War, and the beginning of the New Economic Policy, Dr Burbank presents an admirable summary and analysis of the vast body of polemical literature inspired by the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917. It raises fundamental and provocative questions about the Russian Revolution.' Professor Paul Avrich, City University of New York