Reforming to Survive: The Bolshevik Origins of Social Policies

Elites provide policy concessions when they face credible threats of revolution, such as the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent formation of Comintern, which enhanced perceptions of revolutionary threat and incentivized elites to provide policy concessions to urban workers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 05 January 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Elites often make policy concessions when they perceive credible threats of revolution. This phenomenon was particularly evident during the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and its aftermath, as the formation of the Comintern heightened elites' perceptions of revolutionary threat. The authors explore how this threat perception influenced the capacity and motivation of labor movements, as well as how elites interpreted information signals. As a result, elites were incentivized to provide policy concessions to urban workers, such as reduced working hours and expanded social transfer programs.

To assess their argument, the authors employ a combination of original qualitative and quantitative data. Firstly, they document changes in perceptions of revolutionary threat and strategic policy concessions in early inter-war Norway by utilizing archival and other sources. Secondly, they code representatives at the 1919 Comintern meeting to proxy for the credibility of domestic revolutionary threat in cross-national analysis.

States facing greater threats expanded various social policies to a larger extent than other countries, and some of these differences persisted for decades. This study contributes to our understanding of the dynamics between elites, labor movements, and the threat of revolution, offering valuable insights into the complex interplay of power and politics in historical contexts.

Weight: 149g
ISBN-13: 9781108995474