First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
In the late 19th century, Russia was still very much a peasant and feudal society, but the country was racing towards industrialisation, and the people were clamouring for change. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
The Bolshevik coup created whole new categories of person - the rich, landowners and those with positions of authority in the imperial regime became 'former people'. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
With the death of Lenin and Stalin's assumption of power, a new kind of paranoia fuelled the savage quest for 'class enemies', leading to the brutality of Operation Former People. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
Jewels were hidden and fur coats sold, as the nobility learned that nothing could be taken for granted again. Hundreds of thousands of former people were imprisoned and executed. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
The dying days of the tsarist empire see the aristocracy partying their way into history, the workers demanding a fair wage and violence erupting both at home and abroad. Show more
