Revolution on the Internet

The Russian Revolution of 1917 continues to stimulate discussion.  Here’s a brief overview of various entryways to the topic. In light of the wealth of contributions, this can only be an introduction. Knowledge of the Russian language is an advantage in any case to follow some of the links.

 
Chronicles

Understanding what occurred in 1917 means being familiar with it. Various sources on the Internet present a view of events in which they not only name dates, but also allow protagonists of the revolution to speak.

  • One of the best depictions of the Revolutions of 1917 is still the three-volume work by Trotsky, The History of the Russian Revolution
  • Ten Days that Shook the World by John Reed (published in 1919) was one of the first comprehensive accounts of the October Revolution, including a comprehensive appendage of documents
  • A depiction of the course of the revolution from the perspective of the Fourth International: A Chronology
  • The Russian Telegraph 1917 - A Twitter Project
  •  A similar project with daily news from Russia in the year 1917, organized by the educational platform Yandex and the London-based Pushkin House
  • A interactive map that shows how the praxis of the Soviets/workers’ councils expanded from 1917 on.
  • The State Historical Library of Russia invites you to follow events day-by-day through newspapers (Russian-language link)
  • A comprehensive portal with presentations on Russian and Soviet history and a comprehensive archive of persons (Russian-language link)
  • A chronicle of events in quotes by contemporary figures (Russian-language link)
 
Literature Links and Documents

By now, sources on the Revolutions of 1917 are very well researched and some are available over the Internet. Here is a selection of entryways:

 
Interpretations – Analyses – Controversies

The year 1917 has always been the object of more-or-less bitter debate. Like hardly any other event, it has a polarizing effect within the left and between political camps. Here are some Internet contributions and individual publications that can serve as entries into the debates.

 
Art and Revolution

Revolutions have always also been sources of inspiration for artists. At the same time, they provided them with new spaces. The modes of expression developed therein frequently stood in a productive tension with the course of revolution.

  • "The Russian Miracle" – A film with impressive images from the time, which is consistently aligned with a Bolshevik-Communist view of events (German)
  • An attempt at an Internet Adaptation of the book and film “The Russian Miracle” (German)
  • The GDR children’s magazine Frösi (Fröhlich sein und singen) published a special issue on the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution in 1967 (German)
  • This song by the Oktoberklub informed the image of the October Revolution for a large part of the younger generation from the 1960s onward (Text by Peter Hacks) (German)
  • A report on a London exhibition of Russian/Soviet art from 1917-1932 in the NYRDaily
  • An article by Jennifer Krasinski on the exhibition “A Revolutionary Impulse: the Rise of the Russian Avant-Garde” in the Museum of Modern Art (New York) (English)
  • Art and the Masses: Artistic Praxis in the Cultural Revolution 1920-1930 in Central Asia (a contribution by a partner organization of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation) (English/Russian)
  • For a long time, Vladimir Majakowski was regarded as the embodiment of the new in the revolutions of the year 1917.  The Moscow Majakovsky Museum shows the stages of his life (Russian/English)
  • The Russian/Soviet composer Sergei Prokovief created this cantata for the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution
  • Dimitri Shostakovich, who is today probably the best-known Soviet composer, in 1961 dedicated his twelfth symphony to the year 1917 and the memory of Lenin (Russian/English)
  • In Moscow, an exhibition is dedicated to posters from the year 1917 – here are some examples (Russian)