It is clear that the global impact of the Russian Revolution over the last century has been immense. What is less clear, however, is the global impactonthe revolution. Historians have appreciated that contemporaries made immediate comparisons with previous revolutions, especially the French Revolution and the Paris Commune, but considerations of broader global influences on the revolution have been rare. This article explores how historians can study these global influences, exploring the circulation of ideas and their influence on people and policies. Whilst not denying the continuing primacy of traditional “internal” factors in explaining the nature and process of the revolution, the article argues that globalizing 1917, as contemporaries did, helps historians to better understand the widespread belief in progress that fueled developments as people sought to create a new country, and to appreciate how people tried to make sense of the tumultuous events of revolution.

中文翻译：

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理解 1917 年：迈向俄罗斯革命的全球历史

很明显，上个世纪俄国革命的全球影响是巨大的。然而，不太清楚的是全球影响在革命。历史学家已经意识到，同时代的人直接将其与以前的革命进行了比较，尤其是法国大革命和巴黎公社，但很少考虑到更广泛的全球影响对革命的影响。本文探讨历史学家如何研究这些全球影响，探索思想的传播及其对人和政策的影响。虽然不否认传统的“内部”因素在解释革命的性质和过程方面仍然占据首要地位，但本文认为，正如同时代人所做的那样，1917 年全球化有助于历史学家更好地理解人们对进步的普遍信念，这种信念推动了发展，因为人们寻求创建一个新的国家，并欣赏人们如何试图理解革命的动荡事件。