On Revolutionary Dreams

In many ways, this book is a rehabilitation of the “utopianism” of the early Soviet Union. Today, for the general public, the USSR is generally associated with the October Revolution and War Communism, Stalinism, the scientific explosion during the Space Race, and the stagnation of the Brezhnev era. However, the USSR’s “roaring 20s” (an era which I do think deserves the term) is seldom understood. As a non-specialist, most of my knowledge on this period comes from Zamyatin in We and Pasternak in Doctor Zhivago. As such, I’m glad I read this book.

The 1920s in the Soviet Union saw an explosion of alternative lifestyles and potential modernities. This array of utopianism took numerous forms, from science fiction to public housing (which is one of the more maligned aspects of the USSR in later periods) and peasant communes. Stites is (fortunately) critical enough to realize that these are not in themselves good things, but they represented opportunities outside of the strict rule of the Bolsheviks. Obviously, the Soviet Union was not, in itself, a benevolent power, but there is a great deal to the story of the USSR that is misrepresented or, at least, misunderstood.

I’ve learned a considerable amount from this book. Highly recommend.