1917 Centennial Series: War, Revolution, Socialism, War. Stephen Kotkin

Mary and Peter R. Dallman 1951 Great Issues Lecture

War, Revolution, Socialism, War: How do the events of 1917 and thereafter help us understand the world of today, and perhaps of tomorrow?

1917 Centennial Series: Stephen Kotkin, Princeton University

Revolution in the Russian empire took place 100 years ago, during the First World War. It brought widespread hopes for a new world. During the course of that year, the revolutionary process in Russia radicalized toward socialism, in part because the horrific war did not end. Socialism was supposed to bring an end to such wars. Socialism in power and the perceived threats of its spread reinforced a trend toward a radicalization of the right, the advent of fascism. Within a generation, another titanic war broke out, even worse than the first one. How do these events of 1917 and thereafter help us understand the world of today, and perhaps of tomorrow?

Sponsors: The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, The Leslie Center for the Humanities, The Political Economy Project, The Department of Government, The Department of Russian, The Department of History, and The Department of Film and Media Studies.

Recorded September 18, 2017