Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Sources explained
John Reed describes the diverse sources he used to compile his account of the Russian Revolution, including his own notes, Russian and foreign newspapers, the French Information Bureau's bulletin, proclamations and decrees posted in Petrogr
What happens
John Reed describes the diverse sources he used to compile his account of the Russian Revolution, including his own notes, Russian and foreign newspapers, the French Information Bureau's bulletin, proclamations and decrees posted in Petrograd, and official government publications of decrees and secret treaties.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs when the narrator, after witnessing the destruction of sacred and historic Kremlin s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingCharacters to notice
- John Reed
Author and narrator, compiler of the sources listed.
Key passages
“Much of the material in this book is from my own notes.”
Reed's personal observations form the core of the book.
Reed emphasizes his firsthand documentation.
“I have also relied, however, upon a heterogeneous file of several hundred assorted Russian newspapers, covering almost every day of the time described...”
He supplemented his notes with a large collection of Russian newspapers from the period.
Newspapers provided daily coverage of events.
“Besides the foregoing, I have in my possession almost every proclamation, decree and announcement posted on the walls of Petrograd from the middle of September, 1917, to the end of January, 1918.”
Reed collected nearly all public notices posted in Petrograd during that period.
These documents offer a direct record of revolutionary decrees and announcements.
