History of the Russian Revolution

"During the first two months of 1917 Russia was still a Romanov monarchy. Eight months later the Bolsheviks stood at the helm. They were little known to anybody when the year began, and their leaders were still under indictment for state treason when they came to power. You will not find another such sharp turn in history especially if you remember that it involves a nation of 150 million people. It is clear that the events of 1917, whatever you think of them, deserve study."
--Leon Trotsky, from History of the Russian Revolution

Regarded by many as among the most powerful works of history ever written, this book offers an unparalleled account of one of the most pivotal and hotly debated events in world history. This book reveals, from the perspective of one of its central actors, the Russian Revolution's profoundly democratic, emancipatory character.

Originally published in three parts, Trotsky's masterpiece is collected here in a single volume. It serves as the most vital and inspiring record of the Russian Revolution to date.

"[T]he greatest history of an event that I know."
--C. L. R. James

"Justly celebrated as a towering, vivid, historically vital work."
--China Miéville, October

"In Trotsky all passions were aroused, but his thought remained calm and his vision clear.... His involvement in the struggle, far from blurring his sight, sharpens it.... The History is his crowning work, both in scale and power and as the fullest expression of his ideas on revolution. As an account of a revolution, given by one of its chief actors, it stands unique in world literature."
--Isaac Deutscher

• A Note About the Author p. ix
• Preface p. xv
• Volume 1 The Overthrow of Tsarism
• 1 Peculiarities of Russia's Development p. 3
• 2 Tsarist Russia in the War p. 13
• 3 The Proletariat and the Peasantry p. 26
• 4 The Tsar and the Tsarina p. 40
• 5 The Idea of a Palace Revolution p. 49
• 6 The Death Agony of the Monarchy p. 59
• 7 Five Days p. 75
• 8 Who Led the February Insurrection? p. 100
• 9 The Paradox of the February Revolution p. 112
• 10 The New Power p. 131
• 11 Dual Power p. 149
• 12 The Executive Committee p. 156
• 13 The Army and the War p. 179
• 14 The Ruling Group and the War p. 195
• 15 The Bolsheviks and Lenin p. 206
• 16 Rearming the Party p. 227
• 17 The April Days p. 240
• 18 The First Coalition p. 259
• 19 The Offensive p. 269
• 20 The Peasantry p. 282
• 21 Shifts in the Masses p. 296
• 22 The Congress of Soviets and the June Demonstration p. 316
• Conclusion p. 330
• Chronological Table for Volume One
• Appendix I p. 333
• Appendix II p. 338
• Appendix III p. 343
• Volume 2 The Attempted Counterrevolution
• Introduction to Volumes Two and Three p. 350
• 23 The July Days: Preparation and Beginning p. 357
• 24 The July Days: Culmination and Rout p. 378
• 25 Could the Bolsheviks Have Seized the Power? p. 401
• 26 The Month of the Great Slander p. 418
• 27 The Counterrevolution Lifts Its Head p. 439
• 28 Kerensky and Kornilov p. 456
• 29 The State Conference in Moscow p. 474
• 30 Kerensky's Plot p. 491
• 31 Kornilov's Insurrection p. 506
• 32 The Bourgeoisie Measures Strength with the Democracy p. 520
• 33 The Masses Under Attack p. 540
• 34 The Rising Tide p. 559
• 35 The Bolsheviks and the Soviets p. 580
• 36 The Last Coalition p. 594
• Volume 3 The Triumph of the Soviets
• 37 The Peasantry Before October p. 617
• 38 The Problem of Nationalities p. 641
• 39 Withdrawal from the Pre-Parliament and Struggle for the Congress of Soviets p. 662
• 40 The Military Revolutionary Committee p. 681
• 41 Lenin Summons to Insurrection p. 708
• 42 The Art of Insurrection p. 740
• 43 The Conquest of the Capital p. 764
• 44 The Capture of the Winter Palace p. 793
• 45 The October Insurrection p. 819
• 46 The Congress of the Soviet Dictatorship p. 838
• Conclusion p. 869
• Appendix I Some Legends of the Bureaucracy p. 875
• Appendix II Socialism in a Separate Country p. 890
• Appendix III Historic References on the Theory of "Permanent Revolution" p. 914
• Chronological Table p. 920
• A Short List of Principal Persons p. 925
• A Short List of Principal Places p. 930
• A Brief Glossary of Unfamiliar Terms p. 932
• A List of Parties and Political Groups p. 935
• Index p. 938