Glorious Revolution or a blood red nightmare?

This month marks the 91st anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution, possibly the most important turning point in modern Russian history. The events of October 1917 and the subsequent episodes which followed, twist and turn their way through the politics, economics and social structures of the twentieth century, underlying the modern history of Europe, if not the entire world. Russia in 1917 was a country whose people had had enough. Compared with the most powerful nations of the day economically, politically and industrially she was completely backwards. The political system was dated. The vast country was ruled by an Emperor, or Tsar, who had lost touch with the needs of his people. The economy relied heavily on agriculture maintained largely by starving peasants who by 1917 had been crushed and depressed by three years of bloody war. The saving grace was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the leader of the communist Bolshevik party. Having been exiled along with other left-wing Russians Lenin had lived in Britain where he continued to adopt and improve his thoughts and his doctrine until it was time for him to return, stronger, with enough supporters to rise up in glorious revolution, destroying aristocracy and the bourgeoisie to install Soviet Socialism and ultimately free the desperate people of the former Russian empire. The notion or idea of Lenin and his followers leading a group of desperate people into a struggle for freedom, winning their right to life, overthrowing the evil which had plagued their lives is an incredibly romantic one. The magnitude of emotion involved in such an event must have been tremendous. We look back on the October Revolution objectively as the events happened so long ago and seemingly so far away. The story of the revolution has been wrapped up in almost a century of history. Sometimes it is hard to imagine something like this actually happening, as the events seem akin to a story, which is why I believe the image of the revolution is so easy to glorify or romanticise. However, after contemplating it, perhaps to romanticise the October Revolution is really a rather terrible thing to do. It is easy for us to do so. The fact remains that the revolution was filled with bloody violence. Lives were lost in the days of the revolution and thousands more died in the five years of civil war that came afterwards. Perhaps the fight for freedom is a strong enough reason for us to be able to glorify the revolution regardless of the suffering. However, the ‘freedom’ the revolutionaries won was manipulated and stolen from the people and in reality the peoples’ Union of Soviet Socialist Republics became a tyrannical nightmare filled with terror, paranoia and corruption. Something I have always disliked about studying the past is the way in which epic events are brushed over merely as an aspect of our education. In many such instances there was suffering on a scale unimaginable to those of us lucky enough to live in this life. Feeling a shiver up one’s spine when we learn of mind blowing actions such as the 1917 revolution is brilliant, a faith in humanity, but we must also spare a thought for those whose stories were not so romantic.

Alastair Jack

Tags: Russia