1917. Free history

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved in the form of a social network. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

What is "1917. Free history"?

- “1917. Free History” is a project that enables participants to find out about the history of 1917 from those who lived during this defining moment of twentieth century history.

- The project consists entirely of primary sources. It includes not a trace of invention. All the texts used are taken from genuine documents written by historical figures: letters, memoirs, diaries and other documents of the period.

- “1917. Free History” is a serial, but in the form of a social network. Every day, when you go onto the site, you will find out what happened exactly one hundred years ago: what various people were thinking about and what happened to each of them in this eventful year. You may not fast-forward into the future, but must follow events as they happen in real time.

- “1917. Free History” is a way of bringing the past to life and bringing it closer to the present day. It is a way of understanding what the year 1917 was like for those who lived in Russia and in other countries. We have scoured archives and storerooms for texts, photographs and videos, many of which have never seen the light of day before.

How does it work?

Our main aim is to make history popular – to bring a multitude of voices from a diverse array of historically significant figures to as wide an audience as possible. That is why we do not always observe all those standards which are normally considered inviolable in serious scholarship.

- We shorten texts to make them more readable. However, we never change the words or the sense of what has been written

- Next to each entry, users will find a link directing them to the original document from which it was taken.