The Russian Revolution: A Beginner's Guide

1917: the year a series of rebellions toppled three centuries of autocratic rule and placed a group of political radicals in charge of a world power. Here, suddenly, was the first modern socialist state, “a kingdom more bright that any heaven had to offer”. But the dream was short-lived, bringing in its wake seventy years of conflict and instability that nearly ended in nuclear war.

How could such a revolution take place and what caused it to go so very wrong? Presenting a uniquely long vie...