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The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexander Rabinowitch
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 511363
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 494
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0253220424
Dewey Decimal Number: 947
EAN: 9780253220424
ASIN: 0253220424
Publication Date: September 2008
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Product Description
A major contribution to the historiography of the world in the 20th century, "The Bolsheviks in Power" focuses on the fateful first year of Soviet rule in Petrograd. It examines events that profoundly shaped the Soviet political system that endured through most of the 20th century. Drawing largely from previously inaccessible Soviet archives, it demolishes standard interpretations of the origins of Soviet authoritarianism by demonstrating that the Soviet system evolved ad hoc as the Bolsheviks struggled to retain political power amid spiralling political, social, economic, and military crises. The book covers issues such as the rapid fall of influential moderate Bolsheviks, the formation of the dreaded Cheka, the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, the Red Terror, the national government's flight to Moscow, and the subsequent rivalry between Russia's new and old capitals.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Digging up the REAL roots of Russian authoritarianism October 17, 2008
Examines the pivotal first year of Bolshevik rule. Using newly released Russian sources, he unravels the roots of Soviet authoritarianism, demonstrating that the Bolsheviks did not come to power with a plan to institute dictatorship. Instead, the Red Terror and the oppressive political system that developed was largely the result of ad hoc reactions to escalating crises - in particular the continuing war with Germany and the developing Civil War. An important lesson indeed. And it is far from the only instance when isolating and bombarding a nascent regime has served to harden its resolve and bring out the darkest of human inclinations. (Reviewed in Russian Life)
 Professor Rabinowitch Has Done It Again June 17, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
That is, write another engrossing history of the Bolshevik Party in revolution. This volume picks up seamlessly where his earlier "The Bolsheviks Come to Power" left off. For those of us who enjoyed his lucid and - at the time - groundbreaking reconstruction of 1917, this volume dealing with the revolutionary aftermath of October has been too long-awaited.
Although the writing gets dense at times, those interested in the subject will find a fascinating wealth of information on just how confused, ad hoc and improvisational were these early days of "Communist conspiracy" and "scientific socialism." Rabinowitch begins with the early negotiations between the Bolsheviks and other parties on the limits of inclusion in the new Soviet government, and concludes with the first-year anniversary of the October Revolution. Throughout the narrative his focus is on the moderate Bolshevik faction and how it was marginalized by Lenin, as well as the pressures of civil war.
Realistically, however, Rabinowitch does not idealize these moderates nor overindulge the what-ifs of historiography. In outlining the transformation of Bolsheviks "from rebels to rulers" he keeps us aware of the harsh realities of civil war that made compromise and negotiation seem suicidal. And it must be remembered that attempts by moderate anti-Bolsheviks, to promote democracy and counsel conciliation on the White side, were brushed off by rightwing army officers and Western advisors who were determined to crush Bolshevism at all costs. With the narcosis of civil war gripping all parties it's very hollow indeed to berate the Bolsheviks alone for being dictators and fanatics, or expect them to rise above these circumstances. This is Rabinowitch's conclusion and is a refreshing counterpoint to the ideologically-driven anti-Bolshevik school led by Richard Pipes and Robert Conquest.
Enthusiastically recommended as an addition to college library world history shelves. March 4, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Written by Russian and Soviet historian Alexander Rabinowitch (Professor Emeritus of History, Indiana University Bloomington), The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd is an in-depth historiography of the Bolshevik Party's first year in power after the revolution of November, 1917 that so profoundly affected Soviet history and politics throughout the twentieth century. The Bolsheviks in Power denies the entrenched view that the party's severe ideology immediately changed the Soviet political system into one of brutal authoritarianism; rather, it is revealed that the Bolsheviks struggled to hold on to power amidst a sea of political, social, economic, and military crises, causing the oppressive regime that rose from it to appear virtually ad hoc. Issues discussed include the swift decline and fall of moderate Bolsheviks; the creation of the ruthless Cheka, the Bolshevik-Left SR alliance, and much more. Enthusiastically recommended as an addition to college library world history shelves.
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