An unbiased resource on the Russian Revolution?

[Unregistered]

Can someone please recommend a self contained, single text (hard copy or online) that offers a leftist interpretation of the Russian Revolution, covering the period about 1900 to 1941? I am in my final year of school and it seems every book I pick up in the library begins with a right wing rant-fest claiming that communism was a "religion" and criticising soviet architecture for being boring or whatnot.

It's really discouraging, as I hate the idea of learning the propagandised version of the revolution first, and I need some ammunition against the "but Stalin was sooo bad dey all starved so communism is teh suxorz" types I sit next to.

And yes, I read the recommended reading sticky. Thing is I would preferably like to get my hands on something thats A)readily available B) Deals elusively or at least comprehensively with the aforementioned period C) Not something thats too blatantly communist, lest I include a "contested fact" in an exam and get nailed for it (this probably means anything by Lenin is a no-no)

So yeah, something with a leftist slant but not too much, as chances are some conservative right winger in the education department will be marking my shit, so better to not stray too far from the "official truth."

Oh and preferably not over 300 pages :)

Thank you.

[BobKKKindle$]

Firstly, let me say that the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the USSR under Stalin and subsequent leaders are not one and the same thing. A major characteristic of both bourgeois and anarchist accounts of 20th century Russia is that they assume that there were no significant political or economic changes during the 1920s, especially in the period directly following the civil war, and so, according to these accounts, the horrors of Stalinism can be traced back to institutions and practices that were developed during the early stages of the revolution, when Lenin was still leader of the Bolsheviks, and a major figure within the revolutionary government. This approach is closely linked to a broader philosophy of history that treats the course of historical events as driven by the decisions of individuals, and not classes, with conflicts between groups and individuals being treated essentially as moral conflicts, without any degree of materialist analysis. The Trotskyist understanding of the Russian Revolution on the other hand does draw a distinction between Stalinism and the early Soviet government by identifying the material conditions that led to the revolution degenerating during the 1920s (most importantly the civil war and the failure of the revolution to spread, both of which led to the physical disintegration of the working class, and mass poverty) and seeking to explain Stalinism in terms of the class interests of the bureaucracy, as opposed to the interests of the working class, and the original Bolshevik leadership.

Therefore, if you want accounts that accurately cover the events of 1917 within a Marxist framework, whilst also uncovering the abuses of Stalinism from a radical viewpoint, I would recommend the following:

The History of the Russian Revolution, by Leon Trotsky (link (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1930/hrr/))
The Revolution Betrayed, by Leon Trotsky (link (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1936/revbet/))
The Lessons of October, by Leon Trotsky (link (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1924/lessons/index.htm))
In Defence of October, by John Rees
Revolution and Counterrevolution: Class Struggle in a Moscow Metal Factory, by Kevin Murphy

[Q]

The History of the Russian Revolution (http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1930/hrr/).

[Ismail]

Albert E. Kahn's 1946 book The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia (Books I and II, admittedly more so about the Russian Civil War) is an easily accessible read on the subject and can be viewed here: http://www.shunpiking.com/books/GC/

John Reed's Ten Days that Shook the World (directly about the revolution) is also a good read: http://www.marxists.org/archive/reed/1919/10days/10days/

[ComradeOm]

Its not a "leftist" work but Shelia Fitzpatrick's The Russian Revolution sounds exactly like the sort of primer that you're looking for. Its not particularly comprehensive (dealing more with broad social/political trends than specific events) but its a good introduction and has the benefit of continuing into the mid-1930s and the establishment of 'proper' Stalinism. Should be perfect for school level work

[New Tet]

There is no such thing as an unbiased history (unless all you want is a tome listing only dates and events).

In my experience, to gain some understanding of the Russian revolution, by necessity you need to study several books.

E.H. Carr's history of the Soviet Union is pretty good, especially the book that deals with the formation of the Soviet State.

As mentioned by others here, Trotsky's history is excellent. Of all the leading Bolsheviks that I've read--including Lenin-- Trotsky is the best writer and his account of that great event, to me, is the most vivid. Never a dull moment, I think, when reading Trotsky's history of the revolution.

Isaac Deutscher's "Prophet" series is quite excellent for a study of Trotsky's role in that important event. His biography of Stalin, aside from being great entertainment, reveals considerable insights into how Stalinism came about.

One thing you have to keep in mind: You won't get a full or unbiased picture of the Russian revolution from any one book.