From the Russian Empire to the Soviet Republic

PLACES — EVENTS — EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS

A project by Experimental Humanities and Eurasian Studies at Bard College,
in coordination with the Yeltsin Presidential Library and the Russian National Library.

This exhibition examines the events of what became known world-wide as the Russian Revolution of 1917. A complex occurrence, the revolution should be thought of as encompassing a series of key transformational events that took place in the span of nine months from February to November 1917.

Developed by specialists from the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library (St. Petersburg, Russia) in cooperation with Experimental Humanities and Eurasian Studies at Bard College, the current digital exhibition is a part of a larger integrated project. This English-language version of the project traces two key events of the Revolution of 1917 in Russia—the fall of the monarchy in February and the overthrow of the Provisional Government by the Bolsheviks in October. These events are presented principally through documents, recollections, and eye-witness accounts of their direct participants without their further interpretations.

MAPPING THE REVOLUTIONS

Using eye-witness accounts as the principle source, the maps trace the events during five key days in February 1917 and six key days later that year in October and November. Explore each day of the February and October revolutions as the events unfolded by the hour across Petrograd (known today as St. Petersburg).

POSTERS OF THE REVOLUTION