Theu.s. P. Taylor s Ten Days That Shook The World

99 years has passed since the 1917 October Revolution - a time of chaos and uncertainty, an event that would shape the world for decades to come. In the midst of the â€Å"fog of revolution†, John Reed’s Ten Days That Shook the World navigates through this tumultuous time. Reed was an American journalist and socialist, coming to Russia on an assignment from a socialist magazine, The Masses - he was a man deeply involved with the socialist movement, and thus, with the revolution. As the historian A. J. P. Taylor puts it, â€Å"This was his revolution, not an obscure event in a foreign country.† Thus, his first-hand account, written in 1919, provides a â€Å"slice of intensified history†, attempting to capture the spirit of the revolution, rather than providing a dry text on it - sometimes forsaking historical accuracy, but genuinely attempting to be a fair account, despite its bias. The book starts off towards the end of September 1917, with tensions already high. Though the February Revolution had signified a new change in Russia, the provisional government continued to fight in the Great War. The moderate socialists in power, led by Alexander Kerensky, were opposed by the radical Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. This is where Reed comes in the picture. Only weeks earlier, General Kornilov had marched on Petrograd. The populace was already discontent, but the Kornilov affair had revitalised support for the Bolsheviks. This culminates in the October Revolution - the