Communism Quote by Sheila Fitzpatrick
““Thus the Russian working class had contradictory characteristics for a Marxist diagnosing its revolutionary potential. Yet the empirical evidence of the period from the 1890s to 1914 suggests that in fact Russia's working class, despite its close links with the peasantry, was exceptionally militant and revolutionary. Large-scale strikes were frequent, the workers showed considerable solidarity against management and state authority, and their demands were usually political as well as economic. In the 1905 Revolution, the workers of St Petersburg and Moscow organized their own revolutionary institutions, the soviets, and continued the struggle after the Tsar's constitutional concessions in October and the collapse of the middle-class liberals' drive against the autocracy””
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Russian Revolution”, 2008
Russia’s working class, despite ties to peasants, was highly militant, organizing strikes and soviets, showing strong revolutionary potential.
In simple terms: Russian workers were unusually militant and politically active
Key Takeaway
Recognize the power of organized labor in political change
Themes
history
class struggle
revolution
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- industrial factories
- urban centers
- political meetings
- union organizing
- state repression
Key Concepts
militant activism
worker solidarity
political consciousness
Questions to Reflect On
- How did workers’ political demands shape the revolution?
- What factors limited their revolutionary success?
A Different Perspective
May ignore the role of peasant alliances in broader movements
![“In the appendix to my History of the Russian Revolution I give a detailed and documented study of the ideas of the Bolshevik party on the October revolution. This study, I hope, will make it impossible in the future to ascribe to [Vladimir] Lenin the theory of Socialism in a single country.” quote by Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/374/leon-trotsky-2558_appendix_in-the-appendix-to-my-history-of-the-rus_363447.jpg)
