The Russian Revolutions of 1917

The revolutions that toppled the tsar and led to a Bolshevik regime played a decisive role in shaping world history in the twentieth century. This compact and comprehensive book puts the events of that fateful year into historical perspective. As background to the tensions that produced the revolutions, Russia's major unsolved problems -- from the Emancipation of 1861 down to 1905 -- are sketched with special attention to the Duma period and Russia's role in World War I. The selected readings vividly portray the protagonists and illustrate the attitudes and actions of the Russian people as a whole.