Label & Survey

Label on the Context of the Russian Revolution

“Peace, Land, and Bread!”, Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin famously demanded. Russia’s journey towards Communism began in February 1917 when thousands of Russian workers flooded the streets of modern day Saint Petersburg to protest their government. These protests eventually led to the ouster of Tsar Nicholas II and the imposition of the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky. While many supported the Kerensky government, some hoped to push the Revolution in a more radical direction and give increased power to worker’s committees known as “soviets.” These politics were realized in the Bolshevik’s October Revolution of 1917, Yet, political resentment still raged in Russia.  As the USS Olympia docked at Murmansk in 1918, civil war raged between the Bolsheviks’ Red Guards and more conservative forces known as the White Army. For the burgeoning Soviet Union, the road to political stability would remain fraught with disagreement and tension.

Works Cited

Fitzpatrick, Sheila. The Russian Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.

Hosking, Geoffrey, Russian History: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2007.

Interview Questions

1.     Do you go to history exhibits?

2.     What types of exhibits do you enjoy?

3.     Are familiar with the Spanish Influenza Outbreak of 1918?

4.     Do you think the public should be informed and educated about disease prevention measures?

5.     Would you be interested in learning more about the Spanish Influenza Outbreak of 1918?

For my survey, I interviewed three Philadelphia residents ages twenty-three to twenty six. All three of these individuals stated that they rarely go to history exhibits. One indicated that they simply don’t go to such exhibits and two stated that they occasionally go to history exhibits. Anticipating a lackluster response regarding history exhibits, I also asked what these individuals what types of exhibits they enjoy in hopes that we might be able to incorporate aspects of other exhibit types into our own and attract a larger audience. All recipients enjoyed art exhibits. However, one individual also stated that they enjoyed exhibits with old artifacts. Another person I interviewed stated that he specifically enjoyed art exhibits with large paintings and displays. This same person also enjoyed exhibits that provided good context to their displays.

While all three people I interviewed thought educational programs around disease prevention remained important, only one recipient expressed familiarity with the history of the Spanish Flu. One person even said they knew “absolutely nothing” about the pandemic. However, while few knew anything about the disease outbreak, two interviewees expressed some interest in visiting an exhibit on the outbreak. Only one person remained uninterested. It is my belief that if our group incorporates some of the survey results regarding what aspects of exhibits these persons enjoy, we can attract a diverse public to our eventual exhibit.