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The Russian Revolution: Context

Module description

The Russian Revolution was one of the greatest events of the twentieth century, heralding the emergence of the first communist regime and providing the inspiration for subsequent revolutions across the world. This module examines the revolutionary period from 1914 to 1922, exploring how and why revolution emerged, the progress of events during the crucial year of 1917, and how the Bolsheviks seized and held on to power during a tumultuous civil war. As well as examining political developments, it seeks to explore the fluctuating aspirations of ordinary people and the emergence of a revolutionary culture, whilst contrasting Bolshevik aspirations to build a pioneering new state and society with the reality of the foundation of the Soviet Union.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module examines the revolutionary period in Russian history (1914-22) through an in-depth study of the available sources. It looks at the emerging revolutionary movement in late tsarist Russia, the problems facing the autocracy, and the impact of the First World War, before devoting attention to the complex events of 1917. As well as examining political developments, the module explores important themes, such as the changing aspirations of lower social groups and the importance of nationalism. The module finishes by exploring the civil war, which saw the Bolsheviks struggle to hold on to power and the final failure of alternatives, such as moderate socialism and liberalism, before assessing the broader implications of the revolution for the future of Russia and Europe.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Identify and analyse the diverse and complex the complex political, economic, social, and cultural events of the revolutionary period in Russian history
• 2. Understand and explain the key developments pertaining to the Russian, developed through independent study and seminar work

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Analyse the key developments within a particular historical context.
• 4. Comprehend and explain complex historical issues and debates
• 5. Understand and deploy relevant historical terminology in a comprehensible and sophisticated manner

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Select, organise and analyse material for written work and/or oral presentations of different prescribed lengths and formats.
• 8. Present an argument in a written form in a clear and organised manner, with appropriate use of correct English
• 9. Through essay development process, demonstrate ability to reflect critically on your own work, to respond constructively to feedback, and to implement suggestions and improve work on this basis

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
This module begins by examining the political, social and economic position of Russia on the eve of the First World War before exploring the impact of the war and the background to the February Revolution. The main body of the module focuses on analysing the events of 1917 with seminars covering the political developments, popular interpretations of the revolution, and the role of regionalism and nationalism. The module then examines how the Bolsheviks established their authority, the failure of socialist alternatives, and the interplay between different forces during the civil war. It finishes with the formation of the Soviet Union in 1922, and an assessment of the image of the revolution in Soviet Russia and its broader impact.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Acton, E. and Stableford, T., The Soviet Union: A Documentary History. Vol. I (Exeter, 2005).
• Browder, R. and Kerensky, A., The Russian Provisional Government. Documents (3 vols, Stanford, 1961).
• Butt, V. et al. (eds.), The Russian Civil War: Documents from the Soviet Archives (Basingstoke, 1996).
• Denikin, A., The Russian Turmoil (Westport, 1973) and The White Army (Westport, 1973).
• Got'e, Iu, Time of Troubles: The Diary of Iurii Vladimirovich Got'e,1917-1922 (London, 1988).
• Keep, J. (ed.), The Debate on Soviet Power (Oxford, 1979).
• Kerensky, A., The Kerensky Memoirs (London, 1966).
• Kowalski, R., The Russian Revolution, 1917-21 (London, 1997). [collection of various sources]
• Steinberg, M., Voices of Revolution, 1917 (New Haven, 2001).
• Sukhanov, N., The Russian Revolution, 1917: A Personal Record (Oxford, 1955).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2142
• Lenin's Collected Works and those of other socialists – www.marxists.org
• Russian Civil War Posters – http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?col_id=195

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• October (Ten Days that Shook the World) (DVD, dir. S. Eisenstein, 1928).
• The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty (DVD, dir. E. Shub, 1927).

Key words search

Russian Revolution, Civil War, Communism, Bolsheviks