The Sensory History of the 1917 Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution was an event of world historical significance. Historians have studied every possible aspect of this cataclysm – political, social, economic, cultural, gender, nationality.

But how did ordinary people first notice that a revolution was taking place? Not through newspapers and not even through rumours, but through the sounds of gunshots and the shattering of shop windows – through sensory impressions.

This YouTube lecture explores the Russian Revolution from a novel sensory history perspective. In so doing we will consider olfactory class struggles and why the October Revolution was actually anticlimactic – in sensory terms.

We will close by looking at the Russian artistic avant-gardes who at the time of the Russian Revolution engaged in some of the 20th Century’s wildest experiments with the human sensorium: a coincidence?

This recorded webinar is for Year 12 or Year 13 students taking A-level History, the IB, an EPQ or mature students on an Access course. To receive a link to the recording, which will be released on 3rd November, please complete the booking form.