16 November 1917. Bertrand Russell

Non-fiction

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

Bertrand Russell

Bolshevism is not merely a political doctrine; it is also a religion, with elaborate dogmas and inspired scriptures. When Lenin wishes to prove some proposition, he does so, if possible, by quoting texts from Marx and Engels.

A full-fledged Communist is not merely a man who believes that land and capital should be held in common, and their produce distributed as nearly equally as possible. He is a man who entertains a number of elaborate and dogmatic beliefs such as philosophic materialism, for example – which may be true, but are not, to a scientific temper, capable of being known to be true with any certainty. This habit, of militant certainty about objectively doubtful matters, is one from which, since the Renaissance, the world has been gradually emerging, into that temper of constructive and fruitful scepticism which constitutes the scientific outlook. I believe the scientific outlook to be immeasurably important to the human race.

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Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich

Gatchina, Russian Republic

We have also not received any newspapers all this time. The bourgeois press is silent. In the morning we learnt that there are troop movements in Luga, but whose troops? Some assume they are Kerensky’s. There have been skirmishes around Suida. See more

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Aleksey Tolstoy

8, Malaya Molchanovka street, Moscow, Russian Republic

Racked with desperate ennui, I mourn the death of Russia in the ruins of Moscow with a voiceless throat and aching temples.

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Pierre Gilliard

10, pr. Mira, second floor of the governor's house, Tobolsk, Russian Republic

One of the greatest privations during our captivity at Tobolsk was the almost complete absence of news. Letters only reached us very irregularly and after long delay. As for newspapers, we were reduced to a nasty local rag printed on packing paper, which only gave us telegrams several days old and generally distorted and cut down. See more

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Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (the Younger)

Nevsky Prospekt, Petrograd, Russian Republic

We reached Petrograd safely, if not on time. Everything there seemed quiet. We drove home to the Nevsky. The minute I was in the house I rushed upstairs to the Laimings to find out what had happened during our absence.At my entrance they both fell a step backwards as if they were seeing a ghost. See more

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Anna Akhmatova

Sreznevskikh's ap., 9, Botkinskaya, Petrograd, Russian Republic

Now no-one will be listening to songs.

The days long prophesied have come to pass.
The world has no more miracles. Don't break
My heart, song, but be still: you are the last. See more

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Zinaida Gippius

Sergievskaya 83, Petrograd, Russian Republic

We have been terribly anxious for the prisoners since X. returned from the the Peter and Paul Fortress. Things there are bad, the “commandant” himself is afraid of the sailors, who seem capable of anything. We must conspire to have the prisoners removed. See more

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Grigory Zinoviev

Petrograd, Russian Republic

Comrades! There are here today comrade volunteers from the Red Guards, soldiers and sailors, who within a few hours will leave for Moscow to help our comrades and brothers. The Military Revolutionary Committee attempted to send relief to our brothers in Moscow two days ago, but we were met with hinderance from those who, one would have thought, could only be on our side. See more

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Nadezhda Krupskaya

Smolny Institute, Petrograd, Russian Republic

A guy called Korotkov told me this story. He lived with his mother, a cleaning lady in the Smolny canteen. One day she heard someone pacing in the canteen. She peeked inside: Ilyich was standing by a table, he took a piece of rye bread and a herring and started eating. Upon seeing the cleaning lady, he got a little embarrassed and told her, smiling: "I suddenly got very hungry."

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Marina Tsvetaeva with

Returned to Moscow and left for Crimea again

Alexander Kerensky

somewhere between Gatchina and Luga, Russian Republic

My pursuers were looking for me everywhere. They had no idea I was right there, right under their nose, between Gatchina and Luga, and not somewhere around Don or in Siberia. For me, there was nothing left to do but to lay low and change my appearance as much as I could. I grew a mustache and a beard.

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Felix Yusupov

Kiev, Russian Republic

I told the commander that I had no intention of indefinitely staying in Kiev and doing nothing. I wanted to join my family in Crimea. Moreover, I had to pick up some things that I left in Petrograd, as I was leaving the city in a hurry.

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Pavel Milyukov

is leaving Moscow for Novocherkassk

15 November

Kerensky finds refuge in the forest

"St. Basil cathedral and Uspensky cathedral have been destroyed."

Felix Yusupov gets fake papers

1917. Zombies, drugs, and progress

Why did the Russian Empire collapse

in Petrograd

in Moscow