A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924

Internationalists

socialists opposed to the war campaign (1914—18) who campaigned for immediate peace through international socialist collaboration; the Menshevik and SR parties were split between Defensists and Internationalists

Kadets

Constitutional Democratic Party

kolkhoz

collective farm

Komuch

anti-Bolshevik government established in Samara during the summer of 1918; its full title was the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly

Krug

Cossack assembly

kulak

capitalist peasant (see page 91)

mix

village commune

NEP

New Economic Policy (1921-9)

obshchina

peasant land commune

Octobrists

liberal-conservative political party

pud

measurement of weight, equivalent to 16.38 kg

SDs

Social Democrats: Marxist party (known in full as the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party); split into Menshevik and Bolshevik factions after 1903

skhod

communal or village assembly

sovkhoz

Soviet farm

SRs

Socialist Revolutionaries: non-Marxist revolutionary party (PSR); split into Right and Left SRs during 1917

Stavka

army headquarters

uezd

district (sub-division of guberniia)

versta

measurement of distance, equivalent to 0.66 miles

voisko

Cossack self-governing community

volia

freedom; autonomy

volost

rural township and basic administrative unit usually comprising several villages

zemstvo

elected assembly of local government dominated by the gentry at the provincial and district level (1864—1917); a volost-level zemstvo was finally established in 1917 but was soon supplanted by the Soviets.

Note on Dates

Until February 1918 Russia adhered to the Julian (Old Style) calendar, which ran thirteen days behind the Gregorian (New Style) calendar in use in Western Europe. The Soviet government switched to the New Style calendar at midnight on 31 January 1918: the next day was declared 14 February. Dates relating to domestic events are given in the Old Style up until 31 January 1918; and in the New Style after that. Dates relating to international events (e.g. diplomatic negotiations and military battles in the First World War) are given in the New Style throughout the book.

NB The term 'the Ukraine' has been used throughout this book, rather than the currently correct but ahistorical 'Ukraine'.

Maps

[hand]   Gorky's house

1    Russian Renault factory

2    New Lessner factory

3    Moscow Regiment

4    Erickson factory

5   First Machine-Gun Regiment

6    Bolshevik headquarters, Vyborg District

7    Kresty Prison

8   Cirque Moderne

9    Kshesinskaya Mansion

10   Arsenal

11    Peter and Paul Fortress

12   Stock Exchange

13    Petersburg University

14   Aurora

15    Finland Regiment

16    Central telegraph office

17   Petrograd telegraph agency

18    Post office

19   War Ministry

20   Admiralty

21    Palace Square

22   St Isaac's Cathedral

23   General Staff headquarters

24    Petrograd telephone station

25   Winter Palace

26    Pravda editorial offices and printing plant

27    Pavlovsky Regiment

28    Mars Field

29    Kazan Cathedral

30    City Duma

31    State Bank

32   Marinsky Palace

33    Lithuanian Regiment

34    Preobrazhensky Regiment

35   Volynsky Regiment

36   Tauride Palace

37    Smolny Institute

38   Znamenskaya Square

39    Semenovsky Regiment

40    Petrograd electric station

41    Petrograd Regiment

42    Putilov factory

Part One

RUSSIA UNDER THE OLD REGIME

I The Dynasty

i The Tsar and His People