A deeply engaging study, unmatched in its depth, of factory life in Petrograd over the course of Russia's revolutionary year.
“Justly celebrated as a towering, vivid, historically vital work.”—China Miéville
When the Russian autocracy fell in February 1917, workers across Petrograd took it as a signal to begin democratizing every aspect of their lives, including their working lives. In this classic study, S.A. Smith vividly captures the creation, development, and expansion of the factory councils across the city.
About the Author
S.A. Smith taught at Essex University, the European University in Florence, was a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, and currently teaches at Oxford University. He edits the journal Past and Present.
What People Are Saying
"Justly celebrated as a towering, vivid, historically vital work.” China Miéville
"The classic study of the role and behavior of Petrograd factory workers during the Great Russian Revolution. Based on thorough study of the relevant sources, Smith presents a nuanced, compelling sense of the ultimately decisive dialectical relationship between the powerful revolution from below and the triumph of Bolshevism in Red Petrograd.” Alexander Rabinowitch, author, The Bolsheviks Come to Power