Ten days that shook the world is the tale of a nation being born. In this book John Reed sets forth the events leading up to and during the November revolution in Russia in the year 1917. It is a compelling and insightful read. The author manages to penetrate to the soul of the Russian people; he captures the tumultuous and fierce passion of the revolution in a style that is both informative and engaging. As Reed himself put it “this book is a slice of intensified history”.

John Reed was an American reporter who went to Russia in 1917 to report on World War One from the Russian front. Little did he know then that he was about to witness one of the most monumental events in twentieth century history. For in February 1917 the people of Russia overthrew the Tsarist regime. Reed starts his story here and ends it November 1917 when the Bolsheviks finally assumed power. He describes the mayhem and chaos of the revolution as the Russian people struggled to throw off the shackles of the old regime, and different groups raced to seize control of the country.

The book is a primary source of history. The author had the journalist’s eye for detail, he collected bits of newspapers a

It is this desire, the simple ornate desire to be free which shines forth from the book. The provisional government and the moderate socialists were afraid to embrace these changes. They did everything in their power to curtail the will of the people. In this regard, the book is an excellent account of one class trying to impose their will over another. Although the Bolsheviks grasped the reins and tried to organise the people, they were merely riding the crest of the wave, it was the Russian people were propelling them forward.

Reed centres much of the action around the Bolshevik headquarters in Smolny, Petrograd. It is a hive of activity, constantly buzzing with intensity and excitement. The author introduces us to the leaders of the revolution, Trotsky and Lennon, in a very personable manner. Lennon and Trotsky are now legendary figures in twentieth Century history. Yet here we see them as ordinary men, weighed down with the expectations of a nation and burdened by the stress of trying to forge a new country from the chaos of the revolution. By using this intimate technique Reed lures the reader into the engine room of the revolution. The reader has the feeling that they are standing in red Petrograd in November 1917 and that the action is unfolding before there very eyes. Through the course of the book Reed builds up the tension and frustration felt by the Russian people. They felt betrayed by Kerensky’s government who were little more than puppets of the capitalists and the middle classes. Th!

Politicians from Russia’s old parliament, the Duma, stepped in and seized power by forming a provisional government. They had no popular mandate and very little support. The Bolsheviks, on the other hand, under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky, had a clear direction and mandate in mind. They believed that the rising in Petrograd and the overthrow of the Tsar had presented t

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