A People's Tragedy：The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924

Itishistoryonanepicyethumanscale.Vastinscope,exhaustiveinoriginalresearch,writtenwithpassion,narrativeskill,andhumansympathy,APeople'sTragedyisaprofoundaccountoftheRussianRevolutionforanewgeneration.ManyconsidertheRussianRevolutiontobethemostsignificanteventofthetwentiethcentury.DistinguishedscholarOrlandoFigespresentsapanoramaofRussiansocietyontheeveofthatrevolution,andthennarratesthestoryofhowthesesocialforceswereviolentlyerased.Withinthebroadstokesofwarandrevolutionareminiaturehistoriesofindividuals,inwhichFigesfollowsthemainplayers'fortunesastheysawtheirhopesdieandtheirworldcrashintoruins.Unlikepreviousaccountsthattracetheoriginsoftherevolutiontooverreachingpoliticalforcesandideals,Figesarguesthatthefailureofdemocracyin1917wasdeeplyrootedinRussiancultureandsocialhistoryandthatwhathadstartedasapeople'srevolutioncontainedtheseedsofitsdegenerationintoviolenceanddictatorship.APeople'sTragedyisamasterfulandoriginalsynthesisbyamaturescholar,presentedinacompellingandaccessiblyhumannarrative.