A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924 is an award-winning book written by British historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

 Orlando Figes

Orlando Figes

Orlando Figes is a British historian of Russia, and Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London.-Overview:Figes is the son of the feminist writer Eva Figes. His sister is the author and editor Kate Figes. He attended William Ellis School in north London from 1971-78...

. First published in 1996, it chronicles Russian history from the Famine of 1891-1892

Russian famine of 1891-2

The Russian famine of 1891-2 began along the Volga River, then spread as far as the Urals and Black Sea. The reawakening of Russian Marxism and populism is often traced to the public's anger at the Tsarist government's handling of the disaster.- Weather :...

, the response to which, Figes argues, severely weakened the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

, to the death of Lenin in 1924, when "the basic elements of the Stalinist

Stalinism

Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...

 regime - the one-party state, the system of terror and the cult of the personality

Cult of personality

A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...

 - were all in place". A People's Tragedy won the Wolfson History Prize

Wolfson History Prize

The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public...

, the WH Smith Literary Award

WH Smith Literary Award

The WH Smith Literary Award was an award founded in 1959 by British high street retailer W H Smith. Its founding aim was stated to be to "encourage and bring international esteem to authors of the British Commonwealth"; originally open to all residents of the UK, the Commonwealth and the Republic...

, the NCR Book Award

NCR Book Award

The NCR Book Award, established in 1987 and sponsored by NCR, was the UK's major award to non-fiction It ended in 1998 and has been replaced by the Samuel Johnson Prize.-Winners:* 1988 David Thomson, Nairn in Darkness and Light...

, the Longman/History Today Book Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.