The Antonian

THE ANTONIAN

The way in which the Russian Revolution of October 1917 is regarded and commemorated has changed considerably over time, and is a contentious subject, well demonstrated by the absence of any official commemoration in Russia in 2017, a huge contrast to the very large celebrations which took place in Soviet times. “”

The Russian Revolution of 1917 - Memory and Legacy brings together leading historians of the Russian Revolution—from both Russia and the West, and different generations of historians—to explore how views have changed since the fall of Communism, and it also asks fundamental questions about the meaning of the Russian Revolution— indeed the definition of Revolution writ large. The October revolution brought the Bolsheviks to power, and the Communist government they founded lasted until its fall in 1991. (The February Revolution of 1917, Russia’s Democratic Revolution, which resulted in the unexpectedly rapid collapse of the Romanov dynasty and the establishment of a liberal and then moderate socialist regime was denigrated and downplayed for most of the years of Soviet power). October was commemorated in Russia as a great event that represented the triumph of the proletariat, broadly conceived, and their peasant allies, fundamental socialist values and trailblazing economic development, not to mention cultural transformation. It was marked as the foremost Soviet public holiday, celebrated as the founding myth of nationhood, the world’s first socialist regime and later, as a great power on the global diplomatic stage. In a classic

move of wordplay, the Soviet Union advertised itself as the non-Imperial family of nations, or by later western scholars as the “affirmative action Empire” or even metaphorically as a “communal apartment house.” The fall of the regime led to considerable disillusionment; the October Revolution came to be seen as a tragic event, and it was celebrated as the Day of Reconciliation and Concord until 2004, when it ceased to be a public holiday at all. In the West, October has also long been seen as major turning point in the history of Russia and indeed the larger world, but it has also been viewed as a (Bolshevik) coup d’etat resulting in a hyper authoritarian regime (most often identified as “Stalinism”) promoting rapid, planned modernization (industrialization according to the five-year plans and collectivization of the countryside). Popular histories of the Soviet Union during the Cold War depicted the violence, the purges, the cultural revolution and repression of religion and civil society, and some used the term “totalitarian” to describe rule by Stalin and his successors. But these histories and the popular consciousness also trumpeted a newer replacement

FELLOW BOOK FEATURE Emeritus Fellow Carol S. Leonard gives an insight into the context of her co- edited book The Russian Revolution of 1917 - Memory and Legacy , which provides

a major reassessment of one of the twentieth century’s most important events.

Return to Contents Page

Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting