The Romanovs and the Russian Revolution is a documentary film which premiered on British television (BBC) in 2021.
Here is some basic information about it:
** Hosted and presented by Lucy Worsley
** Language: English
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 54 minutes
Lucy Worsley likes to expose the lies of the past and to tell the truth. But this film about the Romanovs and the Russian revolution is flawed:
She makes several mistakes and there are some serious omissions.
What is wrong?
Let me explain.
# 1. According to Lucy, 23 February 1917 was the International Women’s Day. No. It was not. International Women’s Day is on 8 March.
Lucy forgets to tell us that two calendars are in operation here. Russia is still using the old Julian calendar, while most European countries are using the new Gregorian calendar.
In the twentieth century, the difference between the two systems is 13 days.
# 2. Three actors portray three Russian characters. Two government officials and tsar Nicholas II. When one of the two officials speaks a few words, he speaks English!
This is absurd!
We are in Russia!
These characters are Russian!
They should speak Russian!
This is a serious violation of historical truth!
# 3. According to Lucy, the tsar and his family were trapped in Russia, because the British king and the British government refused to offer them a sanctuary.
This is not true. The Russian tsar and his wife refused to leave Russia while it was still possible.
Blaming the British king for the death of the Russian tsar and his family is a common mistake, but this does not make it right. It is still wrong.
# 4. According to Lucy, the revolution of February 1917 was soon forgotten.
This is not true. Every account of modern Russian history mentions two revolutions in 1917.
The first one in February (actually in March) and the second one in October (actually in November).
# 5. Lucy mentions the February revolution and then she asks: what was Lenin’s role in this event? She answers the question herself:
“He was not even there!”
This is true. Lenin is in exile in Switzerland when the February revolution takes place, but this is common knowledge. It is not a big revelation.
Lucy never mentions the three major points of the public speech which Lenin gives on his return to St. Petersburg in April 1917.
In this speech, Lenin mentions three major problems which he says the Bolsheviks are going to deal with if and when they have the power of government:
** The first promise = End the war
** The second promise = Bread to the people
** The third promise = Land to the peasants
# 6. According to Lucy, the Red Army won the civil war in 1922.
This is not true.
The Red Army won the civil war in 1920.
This is why Lenin and his new Soviet government could introduce the so-called New Economic Policy (NEP) in the year 1921.
# 7. According to Lucy, Lenin’s Last Will and Testament was hidden from the public. Yes, it was hidden. But only for a while. This document has been available for decades. It is not a new revelation, as Lucy implies.
In fact, many of the “surprising” revelations which are presented by Lucy in this film are not new at all. They have been common knowledge for 20 or 30 years.
# 8. Lucy mentions Leon Trotsky as the opposition to Stalin. What about Nikolai Bukharin? He is never mentioned.
The opposition to Stalin comes from two sides:
** From the left = Leon Trotsky
** From the right = Nikolai Bukharin
But this significant detail about factions in the Bolshevik party is not mentioned.
# 9. Lucy mentions several foreign visitors who give positive accounts about the results of the Bolshevik government during the 1930s.
Many foreign visitors are deceived and seduced by the Bolshevik government. They are impressed with what they see. They do not realise that they only see what the government wants them to see.
What about anarchist observers such as Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman who denounce Lenin and the Bolshevik revolution in 1921?
They are not mentioned.
# 10. What about the Kronstadt uprising in the winter of 1921, which signal the end of the revolutionary period? This significant event is never mentioned.
# 11. The title of this film is The Romanovs and the Russian Revolution.
This title implies that there was only one Russian revolution in 1917, which is wrong.
There were two revolutions in 1917. And this is not all. There was also a revolution in 1905.
A better title would be:
The Romanovs and the Three Russian revolutions
In this film, the revolution of 1905 is never mentioned. This is wrong.
This omission is a flaw, because all three revolutions deserve to be included in a comprehensive account about the Romanovs and the Russian revolutions.
# 12. In this film, the word Romanov is mentioned many times. For obvious reasons.
Lucy always says Ro-ma-nov with the stress on the second syllable. But this is wrong.
The correct pronunciation of this word is Ro-ma-nov with the stress on the first syllable.
Conclusion
Lucy Worsley is a British historian. When she is dealing with British or English history, she is always on familiar ground.
When she is dealing with Russian history, she is not always on familiar ground.
Perhaps this the reason why she makes several mistakes? Perhaps this is the reason why there are some serious omissions in this film?
PS. This film is an episode of a series hosted and presented by Lucy Worsley. The title is Royal Myths and Secrets. There are six episodes:
Episode 1
Elizabeth I: The Warrior Queen (2020)
Episode 2
Queen Anne: The Mother of Great Britain (2020)
Episode 3
Marie Antoinette: The Doomed Queen (2020)
Episode 4
Henry VIII's Reformation (2021)
Episode 5
Kings George III & IV and the Napoleonic War (2021)
Episode 6
The Romanovs and the Russian Revolution (2021)
REFERENCES
# 1. Empire of the Tsars: Romanov Russia
This series is hosted and presented by Lucy Worsley
This series is based on her first visit to Russia in 2015
This series premiered in 2016
Episode 1
Reinventing Russia
The time frame is 1613-1762
Episode 2
Age of Extremes
The time frame is 1762-1825
Episode 3
The Road to Revolution
The time frame is 1825-1918
# 2. Books about persons and topics not mentioned in Lucy’s account of the Romanovs and the Russian revolution
My Disillusionment in Russia
By Emma Goldman
(1923)
The Russian Revolution of 1905
By Solomon M. Schwarz
(1967)
Kronstadt 1921
By Paul Avrich
(1970)
Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution:
A Political Biography, 1888-1938
By Stephen F. Cohen
(1974 = hardcover)
(1980 = paperback)
Sasha and Emma: The Anarchist Odyssey of Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman
By Paul Avrich and Karen Avrich
(2012 = hardcover)
(2014 = paperback)
*****
The Russian Tsar
Nicholas II and his family
This picture is from 1904
*****
The Russian revolutionary
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
Better known as Lenin
(1870-1924)
*****
The Russian revolutionary
Leon Trotsky
(1879-1940)
*****
The Russian revolutionary
Nikolai Bukharin
(1888-1938)
*****
The Russian anarchist
Emma Goldman
(1869-1940)
*****
The Russian anarchist
Alexander Berkman
(1870-1936)
*****
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