Collective-Level Edgework, Healing, and Destruction: The Case of the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution

The Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Russian Civil War were two key events of the 20th Century. They led to substantial morbidity and mortality on a population level. The article argues that, for the Bolsheviks, the Revolution involved a society attempting to escape from a context of stasis and death; that it involved highly skilled individuals and groups; and that the society experienced feelings of transcendence and health as a result of its attempts to escape from this death context. As such, the article argues that, from their perspective, the Bolsheviks engaged in what could be considered collective-level edgework.