Interpreting the Russian Revolution
Subtitle: the language and symbols of 1917
By: Orlando Figes and Boris Kolonitskii.
Contributors: Kolonit͡s︡kiĭ, B. I.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New Haven, CT
Language: eng
Number of pages: 198
Subjects: Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921 -- Language.; Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921 -- Psychological aspects.
Description: "This is the first book in any language to offer a comprehensive analysis of the political culture of the Russian Revolution. Orlando Figes and Boris Kolonitskii examine the diverse ways that language and other symbols - including flags and emblems, public rituals, songs, and codes of dress - were used to identify competing sides and to create new meanings in the political struggles of 1917.

The Revolution was in many ways a battle to control these systems of symbolic meaning, the authors find."--BOOK JACKET. "Figes and Kolonitskii consider the fundamental clash between the Western political discourse of the socialist parties and the traditional political culture of the Russian masses. They show how the particular conditions and perceptions that coloured Russian politics in 1917 led to the emergence of the cult of the revolutionary leader and the culture of the Terror."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.