Audiobook · read by volunteers
From October to Brest-Litovsk
Leon Trotsky (1879–1940)
Read by Rebecca Dittman · 27 chapters · 3 h 55
About the book
How did revolutionary Russia get from the storming of power in Petrograd to a peace treaty with Germany? Leon Trotsky, one of the leaders of the October Revolution and the man sent to negotiate at Brest-Litovsk, gives his own account of those months. He describes the first days of the new government, the debates among the Bolsheviks about whether to accept a harsh peace, the diplomacy of the talks and the signing of the treaty on 3 March 1918, which took Russia out of the First World War at a heavy cost in lost territory. Written in the heat of events, the book is both history and argument, and it should be heard as the testimony of a participant. Rebecca Dittman reads its twenty-seven chapters in about four hours.
Introduction
Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) was a Russian revolutionary, a leading figure in the October Revolution of 1917 and the first Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. From October to Brest-Litovsk, published in 1918, is his account of the events in Russia from the revolution in Petrograd to the signing of the treaty with Germany on 3 March 1918, which took Russia out of the First World War. The treaty exacted heavy losses for Russia in terms of annexations of land and payments.
The book needs to be read as the work of a participant with a point of view. Trotsky explains his own role and the decisions of the party, and his later fall from power and assassination in exile add another layer of meaning for readers who know what came after. He was a gifted writer and speaker, and his prose is vivid and combative.
The recording has 27 chapters, and lasts about 3.9 hours. It is read by a single LibriVox volunteer, Rebecca Dittman. The chapters are brief and focused, which helps listeners follow a complex series of events and debates.
Why listen today? For anyone interested in the First World War, the Russian Revolution or the history of diplomacy, the book offers a primary source from a central figure. It is not a neutral summary, and that is precisely what makes it valuable: it lets us hear how a revolutionary leader explained and justified his choices at the time.
Public domain
Leon Trotsky died in 1940: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text