9 November 1917. Mikhail Bogoslovskiy

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

Mikhail Bogoslovskiy

Moscow, Russian Republic

There are many different rumours going round. They say that the a cruiser, the Aurora, fired a thousand shells into the Winter Palace, destroying it completely and burying its defenders, an entire battalion of women soldiers. My colleagues, oblivious to the events, continue to bury their heads in the Novgorod Registers.

Our study is better than it had been at university. I spent the evening reading at home. At four in the morning a loud gun battle commenced, which continued until half four. Sporadic outbursts continued throughout the night, and I could not get back to sleep. So the fighting has come to Moscow! The shots so deafeningly split the silence of the night that I could not pinpoint where they were coming from.

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John Reed

Smolny Institute, Petrograd, Russian Republic

The election of the new Tsay-ee-kahThe Central Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party, the new parliament of the Russian Republic, took barely fifteen minutes. Trotsky announced its composition: 100 members, of which 70 Bolsheviks… As for the peasants, and the seceding factions, places were to be reserved for them. “We welcome into the Government all parties and groups which will adopt our programme,” ended Trotsky. See more

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Harry Kessler

Berlin, German Empire

Lenin seized power in Russia and promised to start peace negotiations at once.

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Raymond Poincare

Élysée Palace, Paris, France

Following the news out of Russia, we must prepare for the worst. Only the politician who leads a country without allies knows true loneliness. We must be prepared to come to terms with this idea. The British Empire and the United States help us considerably, but we must fight as if we were alone.

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Alexander Belyshev

A message to all the honest citizens of the city of Petrograd from the crew of the cruiser “Aurora” which strongly objects to the accusations that have been levelled at it, unverified accusations, moreover, which have cast a blot of shame on the ship’s crew. See more

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Michel Fokine

Mariinsky theatre, Petrograd, Russian Republic

Performances are canceled in the Mariinsky theatre.

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Anton Denikin

Bykhov, Mogilevskaya guberniya, Russian Republic

In order to make our forced retreat from Bykhov a little easier, particularly as we may have to march on foot with the Turkmen, steps are being taken to gradually release the arrested officers. See more

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Zinaida Gippius

Petrograd, Russian Republic

It's the same feeling of occupation. Socialist anti-Bolshevik newspapers are under censorship, apart from "Novaya zhizn'," others are prohibited. The editorial staff of "Izvestiya" are fired, the paper is now supervised by Bolshevik Zinoviev. See more

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Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich

Gatchina, Russian Republic

Near the Admiralty Gates, we got into a car and set off across the Menagerie and past the Gatchina Palace, and saw weapons taken from units leaving Petrograd being brought in. The Cossacks had also disarmed the sailors who had been occupying the Warsaw Station, and besides rifles, they had ten machine guns. See more

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Ivan Bunin

Moscow, Russian Republic

I was in town today. Everywhere is indifference - “rubbish, they’ve been saying that for ages”. A couple of soldiers told me that it is to begin at seven. At five I went to the Teleshovs. See more

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George Buchanan

4, Dvortsovaya embankment, Petrograd, Russian Republic (British Embassy)

Aksentieff, the president of the Provisional Council, who came to see me today, assured me that, though the Bolsheviks had succeeded in overthrowing the Government owing to the latter's criminal want of foresight, they would not hold out many days. At last night's meeting of the Congress of All Russian Soviets, they had found themselves completely isolated, as all the other Socialist groups had denounced their methods and had refused to take any further part in the proceedings. See more

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