The Russian Revolution

‘Bread, peace and land’ connected peasants with workers in the Russian Revolution

The question of how the revolutionary party relates to all groups in society remains relevant for the struggle today

The July Days - Russian Revolution in crisis and a critical test for the Bolshevik party

In July 1917 frustration at the Provisional Government led to soldiers’ and workers’ protests that were violently put down

Workers’ revolution ushered in an era of sexual liberation

For the rights of LGBT+ people and women, revolutionary Russia was decades ahead of its time—and shows what is possible when workers unite

Support for national rights strengthened the 1917 Russian Revolution

The Bolsheviks backed national rights for oppressed groups as a way of overcoming ‘Greater Russian chauvinism’

The sailors of Kronstadt saw the best and the worst of the Russian revolution

Working class sailors in the Baltic Fleet were the revolution’s powerhouse—and later the victims of its isolation and decline

Imagine Moscow: How Stalin debased the design of revolution and other exhibitions

Imagine Moscow exhibition showing until 4 June at The Design Museum London, W8 6AG

Russia 1917—new book is a weapon against the right

02 May 2017
As the centenary of the Russian Revolution progresses, shelves in bookshops are beginning to groan under the weight of books about 1917.

May Day in Russia, 1917 - a beacon to workers across the world

25 April 2017
May Day 1917 saw massive celebrations in Russia—but tension was brewing against the provisional government

Stalin was the embodiment of a counter-revolution

18 April 2017
Joseph Stalin wrote to his Bolshevik party comrade Lev Kamenev in 1912, “I kiss you on the nose, Eskimo-fashion. Dammit! I miss you something awful. I miss you like hell, I swear. I have no one, not a soul to have a proper talk with, damn you.”

Only taking the revolution beyond Russia could save it from ruling classes' attack

11 April 2017
The internationalism of the Bolsheviks challenged the ideology of the war and posed a threat to the world’s capitalists

How Lenin won the Bolshevik party to fight for workers’ power

04 April 2017
A sharp argument within the Bolshevik party stopped it from supporting imperialist war—and helped push the revolution forward

Organising at work helped to protect the Russian Revolution

04 April 2017
Workers flocked to join unions during the Russian Revolution—but as they grew bigger, so did their contradictions

Lenin sought to unite workers in struggle

21 March 2017
Our rulers caricature the Bolsheviks who led the Russian Revolution because they are afraid of a repeat

February 1917 - when workers remade history

07 March 2017
A century ago this week in Russia, the February Revolution ended an ancient dictatorship and began the quest for a new society

How troops refused orders and joined the Russian Revolution

28 February 2017
A mutiny by soldiers was key to forcing out the Tsar in Russia—and a mass revolt of ordinary people made their rebellion possible

Sexual liberation in the Russian Revolution

14 February 2017
The 1917 Russian Revolution saw many gains for LGBT+ rights. These were inseparable from the fight for socialism

Despite the curator, Russian artists shine in new exhibit

14 February 2017
The Royal Academy’s revolutionary Russian art exhibition is impressive, but the working class is rarely seen as fully active within history

1905—a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the Russian Revolution

31 January 2017
Twelve years before the 1917 Russian Revolution, another uprising shook the Tsarist regime to its core

The Lower Depths shows a society that’s ready to burst

24 January 2017
Arcola Theatre’s production of Maxim Gorky’s play captures the contradictions of pre-revolutionary Russia and the potential for change, writes Julie Sherry

A hundred years on from the 1917 Russian Revolution - when workers stormed heaven

03 January 2017
A hundred years ago the 1917 Russian Revolution ushered in a radical new society. We start our anniversary coverage with a look at a year that changed the world