296:", and explains, "The tragedy of the Russian Revolution was that the people were too weak politically to determine its outcome" (p. 588). The dominant colouring of the account has been described as "dark, at times completely black" and the attribution of the Russian people's incapacity for
27:
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credited Figes's "very impressive piece of history-writing" with lasting value "not only as dramatic narrative, but as historical analysis". He highlighted the detailed study of the conditions behind peasant discontent and the attention given in the book to the peasant
196: – were all in place". According to Figes, "the whole of 1917 could be seen as a political battle between those who saw the revolution as a means of bringing the war to an end and those who saw the war as a means of bringing the revolution to an end".
409:. One reviewer contrasted the "aggressive promotion" of the book, which he considered "a market-driven piece of history", with the reception of its more scholarly predecessor, the "perceptive and path-breaking"
470:
1110:
452:", his demonstration of popular support for the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917 in contrast to the right-wing view of the revolution as a
505:
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In line with his title, Figes offers an unqualifiedly negative assessment of the revolution due to its alleged failure to overcome the
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against the
Bolsheviks by 1921. He shows the Russian people in its violent desire for justice as both a victim and accomplice of the "
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of the 1970s–1980s, while seeking to reconcile both schools, with Figes's own archival findings on peasant society.
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215:. Particularly in the initial third of the book, which deals with the pre-revolutionary crisis, he aims to be
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661:
652:
442:
345:
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498:. He attributed the "acute dislike" of Lenin and the Bolsheviks in the book to "the post-Soviet mood".
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have been argued to represent positions shared by the book's author, in particular on the enduring
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analysis", and thus an example of the unacknowledged "theoretical and methodological impact of
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A people's tragedy : the
Russian Revolution / Orlando Figes / 100th anniversary edition
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441:, which to him formed "the programme of revolution". He welcomed Figes's dismissal of
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231:. On the one hand, he rejects the left-wing interpretation of the revolution as an
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1001:(1997), "Back to the Future: The Return of the 'Dark People' (review of
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A people's tragedy : the
Russian Revolution / Orlando Figes / 2014
915:
A people's tragedy : the
Russian Revolution / Orlando Figes / 1997
464:. He praised the book as "far superior in historical understanding" to
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of the
Tsarist era and its apparent unpopularity, expressed in various
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perspective, and for failing to even sketch the political rise of
181:
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fantasies about the transformation of
Tsarism into "flourishing
270:
314:
The argument is presented in the form of "a fairly traditional
176:, in which Figes sees the beginning of the final crisis of the
152:. Written between 1989 and 1996, it was published in 1996 and
322:
points inserted at key intervals. In addition, a "humanist"
806:
804:
119:
247:. Among the protagonists of the book, the disillusioned "
426:
as one of the "hundred most influential books since the
1059:
A People's
Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution
1030:
A People's
Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution
1003:
A People's
Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution
974:
A People's
Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution
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753:
751:
749:
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A People's Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution
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A People's Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution
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as a catalogue of horrors", since it stopped short of "
20:
A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891–1924
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A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891–1924
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A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891–1924
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that lacked popular support, and his tracing of the
359:
consciously departs from this approach and puts the
318:", with analytical interpretations of controversial
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105:
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89:
81:
71:
61:
51:
43:
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600:narrated by Roger Davis was released in 2018.
199:Figes's viewpoint has been characterised as "
8:
370:of the revolution. It synthesises the older
19:
460:to peasant desire for revenge against the
25:
18:
891:In Defence of History: Reply to Critics 4
810:
783:
302:deep-seated political and cultural legacy
184:in 1924, when "the basic elements of the
653:"Out of the Great Dark Whale (review of
516:narrative of the Russian Revolution and
160:for the revolution's centenary in 2017.
609:
211:governments as brutal, inefficient and
834:
759:
546:. London: Jonathan Cape. p. 923.
330:into its narrative structure is used.
946:Search Oxford Libraries Online (SOLO)
920:Search Oxford Libraries Online (SOLO)
624:Search Oxford Libraries Online (SOLO)
7:
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822:
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480:denunciations of revolutions as such
239:. On the other, he acknowledges the
1111:Books about the Russian Revolution
482:". He criticised it for a lack of
16:1996 history book by Orlando Figes
14:
585:Further printings were issued by
569:. New York: Viking. p. 923.
896:Institute of Historical Research
403:Longman/History Today Book Prize
596:A 47 hour audiobook edition of
512:as "an almost self-consciously
203:" due to his portrayal of both
192:, the system of terror and the
333:While Figes's first book used
140:book by the British historian
1:
496:Socialist Revolutionary Party
407:Los Angeles Times Book Prize
363:first in its pursuit of the
93:Print (hardcover, paperback)
474:, which had portrayed "the
1137:
1116:History books about famine
679:
1035:Journal of Modern History
1019:10.1080/09546549708575675
992:10.1017/S0018246X97217607
872:Times Literary Supplement
419:Times Literary Supplement
411:Peasant Russia, Civil War
279:political use of violence
223:notions of the political
24:
504:, Figes' predecessor at
561:Figes, Orlando (1997).
542:Figes, Orlando (1996).
395:WH Smith Literary Award
194:cult of the personality
1101:1996 non-fiction books
979:The Historical Journal
662:London Review of Books
581:First American Edition
326:of weaving individual
264:Provisional Government
1106:Books about communism
391:Wolfson History Prize
309:philosophy of history
1007:Revolutionary Russia
1005:by Orlando Figes)",
970:Merridale, Catherine
743:, p. 88–89, 91.
150:quarter of a century
1121:Jonathan Cape books
1061:by Orlando Figes",
1057:(1998), "Review of
1032:by Orlando Figes",
1028:(1999), "Review of
1026:Suny, Ronald Grigor
976:by Orlando Figes",
972:(1998), "Review of
651:(31 October 1996),
344:of Russian peasant
337:sources to offer a
174:famine of 1891–1892
21:
875:, 30 December 2008
837:, p. 453–454.
825:, p. 263–265.
657:by Orlando Figes)"
598:A People's Tragedy
510:A People's Tragedy
424:A People's Tragedy
387:A People's Tragedy
357:A People's Tragedy
304:said to advance a
188:regime – the
180:, to the death of
148:and the preceding
146:Russian Revolution
56:Russian Revolution
999:Read, Christopher
886:Evans, Richard J.
861:, p. 87, 92.
413:(1989). In 2008,
372:political history
320:historiographical
316:narrative history
286:social inequality
129:
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82:Publication place
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502:Richard J. Evans
245:Tsarist reaction
217:equally critical
168:The book covers
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73:Publication date
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591:The Bodley Head
589:in 1997 and by
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536:Release details
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298:self-government
275:Russian peasant
235:triumph of the
190:one-party state
170:Russian history
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90:Media type
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635:
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443:counterfactual
399:NCR Book Award
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376:social history
258:and the first
178:Russian Empire
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1013:(2): 87–92,
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466:Simon Schama
432:
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397:, the final
386:
385:
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350:quantitative
348:through the
332:
328:life stories
313:
283:
219:of pre-1989
213:undemocratic
198:
167:
158:introduction
138:best-selling
132:
131:
130:
835:Zelnik 1998
760:Zelnik 1998
526:statistical
488:comparative
454:coup d'état
439:moral order
267:Georgy Lvov
256:Maxim Gorky
156:with a new
1095:Categories
604:References
476:Revolution
458:Red Terror
450:capitalism
368:experience
365:individual
339:structural
306:fatalistic
233:inevitable
859:Read 1997
847:Read 1997
823:Suny 1999
796:Read 1997
772:Suny 1999
741:Read 1997
729:Read 1997
714:Suny 1999
697:Suny 1999
682:, p. 380.
593:in 2014.
518:Civil War
382:Reception
324:technique
300:to their
209:Bolshevik
186:Stalinist
172:from the
154:re-issued
125:DK260.5F4
62:Publisher
888:(1999),
514:literary
506:Birkbeck
471:Citizens
405:and the
389:won the
374:and the
361:anecdote
342:analysis
335:archival
277:and the
249:humanist
221:partisan
164:Approach
44:Language
1085:2501883
587:Pimlico
494:or the
447:liberal
422:listed
346:society
294:tragedy
290:revolts
273:of the
262:of the
243:of the
205:Tsarist
201:liberal
144:on the
52:Subject
47:English
1083:
951:21 May
925:21 May
629:21 May
573:
550:
492:Stalin
484:global
401:, the
393:, the
353:method
260:leader
34:Author
1081:JSTOR
680:Figes
271:vices
229:Right
182:Lenin
136:is a
98:Pages
953:2024
927:2024
669:(21)
631:2024
571:ISBN
548:ISBN
524:and
486:and
227:and
225:Left
207:and
107:ISBN
77:1996
1073:doi
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