Library Guides: Russian Revolution: Overview

Don't forget to cite and reference your sources. For help see the Junior School or Senior School referencing guides, and / or CiteMaker.

Resource Key

When accessing content use the numbers below to guide you:

LEVEL

Brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)

LEVEL

Provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.

LEVEL

Lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)

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Jump to: Introduction | Online resources | Primary sources | Videos

Russian Revolution | Introduction

Russian Revolution of 1917 (Britannica High, n.d.)
"Russian Revolution of 1917, two revolutions, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power." ("Russian Revolution of 1917", n.d.)
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Reference / citation: "Russian Revolution of 1917", (n.d.) or ("Russian Revolution of 1917", n.d.)
Reference list / bibliography: Russian Revolution of 1917. (n.d.). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://bt-libproxy.mentonegirls.vic.edu.au/levels/high/article/Russian-Revolution-of-1917/64488
From Tsar to U.S.S.R.: Russia's Chaotic Year of Revolution (Figes, 2017)
In January 1917, Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia while Bolshevik Vladmir Lenin lived in exile. By October, revolution had reversed their roles, leaving the former tsar a prisoner and Lenin holding all the power.
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Reference / citation: Figes (2017) or (Figes, 2017)
Reference list / Bibliography: Figes, O., (2017). From Tsar to U.S.S.R.: Russia's Chaotic Year of Revolution. Washington D.C., National Geographic History Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/09-10/russian-revolution-history-lenin/
Women and the Russian Revolution (McElvanney , n.d.)
From the British Library, Katie McElvanney explores how women’s lives changed during the Russian Revolution, tracing the history of female revolutionaries in Russia and the different ways women documented and participated in events.

Russian Revolution | Online resources

The State Library of Victoria has a number of ebooks considering issues around the Russian Revolution as well as access to a wide range of scholarly journals and primary sources. These can be accessed using your State Library Victoria number.

Russian Revolution (British Library, n.d.)
From the fall of Russia’s last Tsar to the rise of the first communist state, discover how the seismic revolution of 1917 changed both a country and a world through expert articles and collection items.
The Empire That Was Russia: the Prokudin-Gorskii Photographic Record Recreated (Library of Congress, n.d.)
In the early 1900s Prokudin-Gorskii formulated an ambitious plan for a photographic survey of the Russian Empire that won the support of Tsar Nicholas II. Between 1909–1912, and again in 1915, he completed surveys of eleven regions, traveling in a specially equipped railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation.
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Reference / citation: (Library of Congress, n.d.)
Reference list / Bibliography: The Empire That Was Russia: the Prokudin-Gorskii Photographic Record Recreated, Washington, Library of Congress, Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/index.html
[The Russian Revolution and Soviet history] (Orlando Figes, 2014)
This free website brings together Orlando Figes ideas about how to teach and study the Russian Revolution and Soviet history. The website is designed to support courses at all levels - from the UK GCSE to A-level, IB, undergraduate degree at university and post-graduate studies.
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Reference / citation: Figes (2014) or (Figes, 2014)
Reference list / Bibliography: Figes, O. (2014), [The Russian Revolution and Soviet history], Retrieved from http://orlandofiges.info/index.php
Soviet History Archive (Marxist.org, n.d.)
Includes sections on: revolution, government, the Soviet Constitution, economics, foreign policy, Kronstadt 1921, propaganda, party congresses, the Red Army, The Great Terror, and culture and society. NOTE: be aware of bias.
Timeline of the Russian Revolution (1917) , (Baggins, 2005)
A timeline for the Russian Revolution from marxists.org. NOTE: be aware of bias.
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Reference / citation
Reference list / Bibliography: Baggins, B. (2005). Timeline of the Russian Revolution (1917) , marxist.org, retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/history/ussr/events/timeline/1917.htm
Russia (1881-1921), (BBC Bitesize, n.d.)
Six short learner guides from the BBC.
The Russian Revolution, Socialist Worker
Articles relating to the Russian revolution and its impact from the UK Socialist Workers newspaper. Be aware of bias.

Russian Revolution | Primary sources

Images of the Russian Revolution (Europeana, n.d.)
Images of the Bolshevik Revolution from European cultural agencies and collections
Documents in Russian History (Seton Hall, n.d.)
Online English translations of key primary source documents from the Seton Hall University Department of History.
History of Russia: Primary Documents (EuroDocs, n.d.)
Digital copies of primary documents relating to Russian history from the European Studies Librarian at the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.

Russian Revolutions : videos

Russian Revolutions : videos
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