Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
Damage to the Kremlin explained
John Reed verifies the damage to the Kremlin after the bombardment, noting the destruction of the Little Nicolai Palace, damage to several cathedrals and monasteries, and the survival of St.
What happens
John Reed verifies the damage to the Kremlin after the bombardment, noting the destruction of the Little Nicolai Palace, damage to several cathedrals and monasteries, and the survival of St. Basil's and the Imperial Palace.
Themes in this chapter
Counterrevolution and Civil War
The damage to the Kremlin reflects the violent clashes between Bolshevik forces and their opponents during the Moscow Uprising.
Characters to notice
- John Reed
Narrator who personally inspected the Kremlin damage after the bombardment.
Key passages
“The Little Nicolai Palace, a building of no particular importance, which was occupied occasionally by receptions of one of the Grand Duchesses, had served as barracks for the yunkers. It was not only bombarded, but pretty well sacked; fortunately there was nothing in it of particular historical value.”
The Little Nicolai Palace, used as a barracks for the yunkers, was bombarded and looted, but contained nothing historically significant.
Reed notes the destruction of a minor palace used by the yunkers.
“Usspensky Cathedral had a shell-hole in one of the cupolas, but except for a few feet of mosaic in the ceiling, was undamaged.”
Usspensky Cathedral suffered only a shell-hole in a cupola and minor ceiling damage.
Reed describes the limited damage to a major cathedral.
“The church of St. Basil was untouched, as was the great Imperial Palace, with all the treasures of Moscow and Petrograd in its cellar, and the crown jewels in the Treasury. These places were not even entered.”
St. Basil's and the Imperial Palace, containing vast treasures and crown jewels, remained untouched and unentered.
Reed highlights the preservation of key cultural and historical sites.