Russian Revolution centenary

The Russian Revolution was worth it—it gives hope of a better future
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The Russian Revolution was worth it—it gives hope of a better future

The revolution of 1917 showed another world is possible, what that world could look like—and how we can make it happen
11 December 2017
The revolution didn’t have to lead to a new ruling class
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The revolution didn’t have to lead to a new ruling class

The victory of Joseph Stalin’s counter revolution and the rise of a bureaucracy that exploited workers was not inevitable
05 December 2017
Civil War laid the basis for the end of the Russian Revolution
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Civil War laid the basis for the end of the Russian Revolution

The bloodshed of the civil war shows that the ruling class will do anything to stop revolution
27 November 2017
Workers needed to seize power in 1917 or risk defeat
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Workers needed to seize power in 1917 or risk defeat

Some critics argue that the Russian Revolution was ‘premature’—but there was no time to lose
21 November 2017
Brest-Litovsk peace talks showed the generals' thirst for war
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Brest-Litovsk peace talks showed the generals’ thirst for war

Ending the First World War was a major priority for the new soviet government after the October Revolution in Russia—but not everyone wanted peace
11 November 2017
Celebrating the 1917 Russian Revolution - and debating the lessons for today
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Celebrating the 1917 Russian Revolution – and debating the lessons for today

Hundreds of people marked the centenary of the Russian Revolution at the Celebrating 1917 conference in central London last Saturday.
07 November 2017
Revolution is how we can change the world
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Revolution is how we can change the world

Revolution is difficult and involves intense confrontation with the ruling class.
31 October 2017
1917 - when workers shook the world
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1917 – when workers shook the world

The Russian Revolution of October 1917 is the most important event in human history. For centuries ordinary people had dreamed of a world without the rule of emperors, kings, generals and the rich. Some gave their lives fighting for such change.
31 October 2017
How workers won in 1917
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How workers won in 1917

The Provisional Government assembled in the Winter Palace at 9pm on 25 October to “work out methods for the resolute and final liquidation of the Bolsheviks”.
31 October 2017
The revolution was defeated - but it didn't have to be
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The revolution was defeated – but it didn’t have to be

Within a decade of the revolution a regime was taking shape in Russia that pushed back everything revolutionaries had fought for.
31 October 2017
Bolsheviks —a crucial element
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Bolsheviks —a crucial element

The October insurrection in Russia would not have succeeded had it not been for the Bolshevik party. The Bolsheviks are still the best model for how revolutionaries should organise.
31 October 2017
The only way is insurrection
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The only way is insurrection

Lenin called the state “an organ for the oppression of one class by another”. The insurrection in October 1917 in Russia showed that one class can beat another.
31 October 2017
Capitalist state power versus soviet power
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Capitalist state power versus soviet power

As the Russian Revolution developed a situation of dual power existed—but it was unsustainable
24 October 2017
This is one book that will shake your world
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This is one book that will shake your world

Journalist John Reed’s famous eyewitness account of the Russian Revolution brings alive the drama and excitement of a working class in revolt
17 October 2017
Three Bolshevik heroes you may never have heard of
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Three Bolshevik heroes you may never have heard of

Many people will be familiar with prominent figures of the Russian Revolution such as Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and Alexandra Kollontai.
10 October 2017
The Russian Revolution was democratic. Holding it back was not
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The Russian Revolution was democratic. Holding it back was not

The October uprising had broad support from workers—unlike the parliamentary efforts to hold it back
02 October 2017
Was there a parliamentary alternative to revolution?
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Was there a parliamentary alternative to revolution?

Workers in revolt lost faith in the capitalist parliament—and looked towards a better system
26 September 2017
Trotsky—the leader who armed the workers’ movement
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Trotsky—the leader who armed the workers’ movement

Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky was at the forefront of the 1917 Revolution
19 September 2017
Workers in revolt needed newspapers of their own
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Workers in revolt needed newspapers of their own

Workers’ councils and political parties set up newspapers to counter the lies of the rich—and to organise the struggle against them in the Russian Revolution of 1917
12 September 2017
How the shockwaves of the Russian Revolution spread across the world
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How the shockwaves of the Russian Revolution spread across the world

News of revolution in Russia inspired workers to take action against their own rulers—and showed them they could win
05 September 2017
Up in arms—how workers in Russia united in action to beat a coup
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Up in arms—how workers in Russia united in action to beat a coup

At the beginning of September 1917 the commander of the Russian Army, general Lavr Kornilov, tried to crush the revolution.
29 August 2017
The Russian Revolution saw workers transform society—and themselves
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The Russian Revolution saw workers transform society—and themselves

Ideas can change fast in a revolution, as ordinary people start to take control of their own lives and the world around them
22 August 2017
Our terrified rulers spread lies to undermine revolution
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Our terrified rulers spread lies to undermine revolution

Fearing that they would also be toppled, ruling classes across the world organised to crush the Russian Revolution of 1917
11 August 2017
Does the fight for workers’ power mean dictatorship?
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Does the fight for workers’ power mean dictatorship?

The ruling class won’t allow a socialist society to develop, so workers need their own instruments of class rule
08 August 2017