Bolshevik revolution death toll

This article is over 4 years, 8 months old

Governments across the world are failing to protect people from coronavirus. But there are better ways to tackle diseases.

In Russia after the 1917 revolution, typhus posed a major threat—but revolutionary measures led by ordinary people stopped its spread, writes Charlie Kimber

How would a society that has had a revolution deal with pandemics?

A glimpse comes from Russia in 1917. The working class, headed by the Bolshevik party, took power in a revolution there in October.

Bolshevik revolution death toll map

Immediately, they had to deal with waves of disease sweeping large parts of Europe.

Over the next four years cholera, smallpox and “Spanish Flu” had devastating effects. But the greatest threat was from typhus. In a time before antibiotics, typhus was fatal in a third of those who were infected.

It is spread by a bacteria which lives i