The impact of the 1917 Russian revolutions on Arnold J. Toynbee's historical thought, 1917–34

This article explores the repercussions of the 1917 Russian Revolutions on Toynbee's historical thought. After presenting a methodological framework and describing the historical profession's reaction to the events of 1917, the article argues that Toynbee's prodigious Surveys of International Affairs and the first three volumes of A Study of History were significantly imbued with insights Toynbee drew from the 1917 Revolutions and the Soviet Union's creation. The article chronicles Toynbee's commentary on the Russian Revolutions and his attempt to shape the British public's ideas about Russia and the Bolshevik ‘threat’ to Western Civilisation. The article concludes with a description of Toynbee's intellectual sources, including Leo Tolstoi.