Morris Slavin
Encyclopedia
Morris Slavin was a scholar of the French Revolution
, a Marxist historian
, and an early American Trotskyist activist between the 1930s and 1950s. Slavin was born in Kiev
but lived primarily in Youngstown
, Ohio
. Slavin taught for many years at Youngstown State University
and his books made a significant contribution to the understanding of the French Revolution in the "history from below" style established by Albert Soboul
.
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, a Marxist 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...
, and an early American Trotskyist activist between the 1930s and 1950s. Slavin was born in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
but lived primarily in Youngstown
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Slavin taught for many years at Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
and his books made a significant contribution to the understanding of the French Revolution in the "history from below" style established by Albert Soboul
Albert Soboul
Albert Marius Soboul was a French historian of the French Revolution and of Napoleon. A professor at the Sorbonne, he was Chair of the History of the French Revolution and author of numerous influential works of history and historical interpretation.-Early life and education:Albert Marius Soboul...
.
Books
- The French Revolution in Miniature: Section Droits-de-L'Homme, 1789-1795, Princeton, 1984.
- The Making of an Insurrection: Parisian Sections and the Gironde, Harvard, 1986.
- The Hébertistes to the Guillotine: Anatomy of a "Conspiracy" in Revolutionary France, Louisiana State, 1994.
- The Left and the French Revolution, Humanities, 1995.
Collections
- Bourgeois, Sans-Culottes, and Other Frenchmen, ed. with Agnes M. Smith, Wilfrid Laurier University, 1981.
- Reflections at the End of a Century, ed. with Louis Pastouras, Youngstown State, 2002.
Essays
- "The Heroic Individual and His Milieu," in Debating Marx, ed. Louis Pastouras, EmText, 1994.
- "Robespierre and the Insurrection of 31 May - 2 June 1793," in Robespierre, ed. Colin Haydon and William Doyle, Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Publications Available Online
- Review of book on Annales School, 1991
- Review-essay on studies of Lenin and Bolshevism, 1996
- Review of Russian Trotskyist memoir, 1997
- Review of book on French Revolution in Russian intellectual life, 1997
Further reading
- Boris Blick and Louis Pastouras, eds., Rebels Against the Old Order: Essays in Honor of Morris Slavin, Youngstown State, 1994.