Description
Book Synopsisaeo This book is an historical study of democratic life and institutions, and their decline, in the early years of the Russian Revolution. aeo Farber assesses the extent to which the disappearance of soviet democracy was due to objective circumstances e.g. impact of civil war, result of Bolshevik politics and ideology.
Trade Review'This is a book that everyone interested in the future of socialism should read, and a book that will inform and enlighten all who are interested in the history of the Soviet Union.'
Professor S A Smith, University of Essex 'When did the Russian Revolution go wrong and why? Whether one shares Samuel Farber's views or not, his is an important, at once thoughtful and passionate contribution to one of the major debates of our time.' Daniel Singer
'An honest and searching attempt to identify the roots of Stalinism in the pre-Stalin period. It can be recommended as a painstaking and scrupulous assessment, animated by a commitment to socialist democracy.' New Left Review
'The author surveys comprehensively the 'moments of choice' between the Bolshevick Revolution and the death of Lenin.' Labour History Review
'Farber has done much to enrich our understanding of the tradition which was never reducible just to Lenin.' Socialist
Table of ContentsDedication.
Acknowledgements.
Major Events in Russian History 1917-1924.
Introduction.
1. The Rise and Decline of Democratic Soviets.
2. The Fate of Workers Control and Trade Union Independence.
3. Freedom of the Press.
4. Repression.
5. Socialist Legality.
Part II: Before Stalinism: Political Alternatives. .
6. Revolutionary Alternatives to Mainstream Bolshevism.
7. After the Civil War: Lenin's NEP as an Alternative (1921-1923).
Epilogue.
Bibliography.
