"The experience and example of Russia in 1917 has never been more relevant than in the troubled times we are living through today. The legacy of the Revolution’s centenary is going to be fiercely fought over with the political right determined to discredit the very idea of social revolution, indeed to make it unthinkable. A People’s History of the Russian Revolution, written by one of the finest historians on the left, Faulkner, is a vital contribution to the debate, an essential defence of the revolutionary experience. It is to be wholeheartedly welcomed."
— John Newsinger, Bath Spa University
"A People's History of the Russian Revolution reeks of the vodka, blood, and gunpowder of one of the most vital and important periods in human history. Though the Revolution is usually characterised through a handful of heroes and heroines, Faulkner shows such upheaval can only be achieved when millions of people realise they should be more than factory and cannon-fodder for the rich. A powerful book for an anniversary those in charge would rather we forgot."
— Tansy Hoskins, author of Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion
"Among the countless books which are beginning to appear as the centenary of the Russian Revolution approaches, there is a real need for a clear, historically reliable popular account from a socialist perspective. Faulkner's People's History is that account. Arguing against both right-wing myths that reduce October to a mere coup, and left-sectarian myths that treat of the Bolshevik party as an infallible 'democratic centralist' monolithic, Faulkner forcefully reminds us that the early years of the Russian Revolution saw one of the greatest explosions of mass democracy in human history."
— Neil Davidson, author of We Cannot Escape History: Nations, States, and Revolutions
"A valuable perspective on a world-shaking event."
— Times Higher Education
“This is a good, well-written book. The author has a way of encapsulating vast and sweeping movements in history in a few enticing words, and the book is tantalizingly readable. . .”
— Choice
“We are fortunate that there appeared early in this anniversary year reliable and very readable introductions, written 'from a distance' (Britain), that can help all of us understand what really happened”
— International Socialist Review