Product Description

Presents an account of the Russian Revolution. This book has won the Wolfson History Prize, the W H Smith Literary Award, and the Longman/History Today Book of the Year Award.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7916 in Books
• Published on: 1997-07-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 934 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Written in a narrative style that captures both the scope and detail of the Russian revolution, Orlando Figes' history is certain to become one of the most important contemporary studies of Russia as it was at the beginning of the 20th century. With an almost cinematic eye, Figes captures the broad movements of war and revolution, never losing sight of the individuals whose lives make up his subject. He makes use of personal papers and personal histories to illustrate the effects the revolution wrought on a human scale, while providing a convincing and detailed understanding of the role of workers, peasants, and soldiers in the revolution. He moves deftly from topics such as the grand social forces and mass movements that made up the revolution to profiles of key personalities and representative characters.

Figes' themes of the Russian revolution as a tragedy for the Russian people as a whole and for the millions of individuals who lost their lives to the brutal forces it unleashed make sense of events for a new generation of students of Russian history. Sympathy for the charismatic leaders and ideological theorising regarding Hegelian dialectics and Marxist economics--two hallmarks of much earlier writing on the Russian revolution--are banished from these clear-eyed, fair-minded pages of A People's Tragedy. The author's sympathy is squarely with the Russian people. That commitment, together with the benefit of historical hindsight, provides a standpoint Figes can take full advantage of in this masterful history.

Customer Reviews

The best marathon you'll ever run
This is a long book, for those looking for short sharp read look elsewhere because you won't find it here. What you will find is a book that humanises an often sterile topic. by bringing out human examples again and again Figes does not just cater for the undergraduate historian searching for information but also personalises the plight of the russian people in such a way that is both captivating and informative, making it a good read for any audience. This is no harry potter, you won't find people reading it around a swimming pool but if you have the time it is well worth it. Most importantly do not be put off by its size. the author assumes little prior knowledge whilst at the same time allowing the learned reader an even more in-depth look at the chaos and brutality of imperial Russia and beyond. For beginners and scholars alike this book is second to none and a must for anyone with an interest in the soviet union. To understand any nation especially one governed by rigid ideals one must understand the events and context in which those ideals were introduced, moulded, and ultimately distorted.

whatever did happen to leon trotsky
Having already read "Natasha's Dance", "A People's Tragedy" had a lot to live up to - it did. In this superb book, Figes describes the social forces and events that led to, then ruined, the democratic revolution in Russia. The book achieves a rare balance between the stories of the great personalities who helped shape the revolution, and the lives of the common people who felt its effects. He is even-handed, taking to task both left- and rightist interpretations of the revolution and the motivations of those involved; it is this impartiality that condemns both the old tsarist regime and the new Bolshevik dictatorship. "A People's Tragedy" is long, but is an enthralling, if grim, read throughout.

Excellent Read
Very good one volume history of Russia from pre-revolution to post-revolution times.

Figes tells the story of revolutionary Russia from a late 20th century perspective relying on fact without an overly 'leftist' or 'rightist' bias.

Anyone calling this a 'rightist' history criticising the Bolsheviks has clearly failed to grasp the horrendous state of the Russian nation post 1917.

Why only 4 stars? Figes lets himself down slightly with the title - 1891-1924. In truth, this book finishes at the end of the Civil War in 1920/21 and glosses over the post-Civil War famines and economic reforms in too little detail, with little attention paid to the rise of Stalin in the party structure. An extra 100 pages to fatten out these themes would have been appreciated.