Three "whys" of the Russian Revolution

Book excerpt: 'It is my considered judgement that, had it had not been for the Russian Revolution, there would very likely have been no National Socialism; probably no Second World War and no decolonization; and certainly no Cold War, which once dominated our lives. I will attempt here to distill the essence of my books THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION and RUSSIA UNDER THE BOLSHEVIK REGIME by raising the three central questions addressed in those volumes: Why did tsarism fall? Why did the Bolsheviks gain power? Why did Stalin succeed Lenin? Richard Pipes, from THREE WHYS OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. Arguably the most important event of the twentieth century, the Russian Revolution changed forever the course of modern history. Due to the Soviet clampdown on archives regarding the Revolution, many aspects of the event have been shrouded in mystery for over seventy years. However, since the collapse of Communism the archival despositories have been thrown open to interested parties. 'One of America's great histories'. WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD. 'Pipes is not a mere communicator of facts but a philosopher examining the deeper, broader trends beneath the surface of history. ' SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE.