Urbanization and Deurbanization in the Russian Revolution and Civil War Author(s): Diane Koenker Source: The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 57, No. 3 (Sep., 1985), pp. 424-450 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1879687 . Accessed: 15/11/2013 09:43 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. The University of Chicago Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Modern History. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.197.26.12 on Fri, 15 Nov 2013 09:43:54 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Urbanizationand Deurbanizationin the Russian Revolution and Civil War* Diane Koenker Universityof Illinois at tJrbana-Champaign UrbanRussia in 1917 was the crucibleof revolution.The collapse of the tsatist governmentbegan first in the capitalcity of Petrograd;the appeal of the Bolshevikparty among the urbanpopulations of Petrograd,Moscow, and other cities (along with its influenceamong troops at the front) was critical in ensuring the successful seizure of power by the Soviets in October1917. Indeed, the city, and especially its urbanwork force, had long been central to Marxist theorists, who opposed their vision of a proletarianrevolution centered in the city to that of the populists, who believed that rural peasants would provide the spark of revolution in Russia.