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Author Topic: The Russian Revolution-historically progressive or not?
enemy_of_capital
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posted 01 November 2008 02:32 PM      Profile for enemy_of_capital     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Interested to see thoughts on this. Now if we could keep discussion of this to pre Stalin era it would be best as Stalinism is not what I want to put on trial here most of us agree Stalin if anyone deserved the firing squad. Personally I think it was terribly misguided but largely progressive bringing Russia and indeed a large part of Eurasia into the 20th century by electrifying the old Tsarist empire. Also sparked the radicalization of a generation of workers. Thoughts?
From: Mississauga | Registered: Sep 2008  |  IP: Logged
N.Beltov
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posted 01 November 2008 02:49 PM      Profile for N.Beltov   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I rather expect that the reactionary approach to the Russian Revolution ("Great October Socialist Revolution" to some) is to do their level best to erase it from history. So even acknowledging that the revolution actually took place will come to be seen as a "radical" stand or position.

An episode of Gene Rodenberry's Star Trek had crew member Chekhov go ballistic over some character who resembled a Cossack in some way. The reaction was as if there had been no intervening history of socialism in Russia and the former Soviet Union at all.

FWIW, a similar thread could be opened on the American War of Independence. In THAT vein, an interesting question for Canadians would be the following: was there a time when being part of the United States of America would have been historically progressive for Canada? Of course, for the present, the answer is no.


From: Vancouver Island | Registered: May 2003  |  IP: Logged
enemy_of_capital
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posted 01 November 2008 03:03 PM      Profile for enemy_of_capital     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
First I saw that episode and it was neat, not a trek fan myself. second Ive started a secondary thread for the US and Canada hypothetical as it is cool also.
From: Mississauga | Registered: Sep 2008  |  IP: Logged
Fidel
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posted 01 November 2008 03:07 PM      Profile for Fidel     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Tsarist rule had run its course, and laissez-faire capitalism was on the road to ruin after 30 years. British royals refused to acknowledge their cousins in Moscow for fear of importing revolution to Britain. All eyes were on Russia in 1917-1922. Sweeping changes around the world occurred as a result of the crises of capitalism and new political threat to privilege and money. Soviets put the first unmanned orbiter around the moon. Cold war.

[ 01 November 2008: Message edited by: Fidel ]


From: Viva La Revolución | Registered: Apr 2004  |  IP: Logged
Left Turn
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posted 01 November 2008 03:09 PM      Profile for Left Turn     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Definitely it was progressive. The Russian Revolution ended Russian involvement in the First World War, a war in which the only thing the Russian army excelled at was getting it's own soldiers killed. It also led to the greatest revolutionary upsurge of the 20th Century.
From: Burnaby, BC | Registered: Mar 2005  |  IP: Logged
Ken Burch
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posted 08 November 2008 05:23 PM      Profile for Ken Burch     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The first few years WERE progressive.

The progressive aspect, which was there at the start and which must be acknowledged, began to be lost as soon as the focus began to shift from carrying out the objectives of the Revolution(the emancipation of the workers and the democratization and humanization of the economy)to keeping "The Party" in power.
While Stalin was the exemplar of this, he could not have succeeded if he didn't have the structure of "the vanguard party" within to work. In my view, vanguardism as a tactic should have been abandoned as soon as Lenin took power, for the Revolution at that point needed to have a secretive, unaccountable and conspiratorial structure in order to function.

I think the first major mistake was the suppression of the Krondstadt uprising. Had the soldiers and sailors of Krondstadt been successful, It seems likely that the humane, democratic and emancipatory character of the Revolution could have been preserved, and at no loss to the security of "the state".

But the Revolution did happen, and must be acknowledged. And its betrayal must be studied by all those who come after so we don't repeat it.


From: A seedy truckstop on the Information Superhighway | Registered: Feb 2005  |  IP: Logged

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