From the failed uprising of the Decembrists in 1825 to the storming of the Winter Palace in 1917, the Russian revolutionary tradition evolved through nearly a century of struggle, sacrifice, debate, and transformation. Across those decades, generations of revolutionaries confronted one of Europe's most entrenched autocracies, experimenting with ideas that ranged from constitutional monarchy to peasant socialism, anarchism, populism, and Marxism. Some believed that Russia's peasant commune held the key to a just society. Others placed their faith in the emerging industrial working class. Many spent years in exile, imprisonment, or Siberian penal colonies, while countless others paid with their lives. Yet each generation inherited something from those who came before it, building a revolutionary tradition that would ultimately reshape not only Russia, but the course of the twentieth century.

In this episode, hosts Matthew and Jason trace the Russian revolutionary tradition from its origins in the early nineteenth century to the revolutions of 1917. We discover the Decembrists, the intelligentsia, Herzen and the Westernizers and Slavophiles, the rise of the Narodnik movement, the dramatic turn toward political terrorism with Narodnaya Volya, the spread of Marxism, the emergence of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, and the split between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Along the way, we'll examine the ideas, personalities, and historical forces that forged one of the world's most influential revolutionary movements.

So join us as we journey through nearly a century of Russian radicalism, from the officers who dared to challenge the Tsar in Senate Square to the workers, peasants, and revolutionaries who transformed an empire into the world's first socialist state.

This is the story of the Russian revolutionary tradition.

In this first episode, Matthew introduces Season 1: Building the Socialist Order (1922–1927) and shares the story behind the podcast. Explore the motivations, questions, and historical themes that sparked this deep dive into Soviet history, and get a preview of the journey ahead.

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