Revolutionary Russia: A History in Documents (Pages from History)
Primary sources can be overwhelming, but with letters, speeches, photographs, poems, diaries, political posters, songs, interviews, news articles, memoirs, maps, and more, these generously sized titles in the Pages from History series do a fine job of combining dense raw material with detailed commentary that provides context and raises overarching issues. Revolutionary Russia is a solid historical overview of the October Revolution and rich Bolshevik culture as well as the terror of the purges and the horrendous conditions of the gulags. The authors show how forced collectivization led to famine and the deaths of millions, as well as how the country’s successful transformation from an oppressed agricultural society to a highly industrialized nation made it able to withstand a German invasion during the Second World War. Includes fully documented source notes and an extensive bibliography, including Web sites divided by subject. The inviting page design will hook students, with a black-and-white photo or illustration on almost every spread and changing type that distinguishes long original quotes from overview and analysis. Grades 9-12. --Hazel Rochman