A Diary of the Russian Revolution
"When an astonishing revolution toppled the Russian autocracy early in 1917, James L. Houghteling Jr., a special attaché to the US embassy in Russia, was one of the very few Americans present who daily recorded the striking events he witnessed and the comments he heard from both Russian and foreign observers. The diary of the thirty-three-year-old Chicago native therefore provides a rare and valuable record of dramatic developments in the streets of the wartime capital, Petrograd. It also offers unusual insights into how Russian elites and foreign diplomats, journalists, and business owners viewed the actions of soldiers, workers, and political leaders who shaped the revolution.
David Foglesong is a professor of history at Rutgers University. His current research on how U.S. and Soviet citizen diplomats contributed to the overcoming of enmity between their nations in the 1980s has led to the publication of articles in Cold War History, Kontsept, and Diplomatic History.
