The October Revolution
By Milan Gregory Perera, 3rd Year English
“To try to understand the 20th century without the Russian Revolution is like one hand clapping,” says Lewis Siegelbaum, Professor of History at the Michigan State University.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was undoubtedly the most ground-breaking social and political experiment carried out in the 20th century. It casts long shadows, and its tremors are still felt in the current political zeitgeist whether it is the beguiling allure of socialism in Latin America and Asia or the reignited Cold War rhetoric of Russian leaders in the present day.
The October Revolution which established the first Workers’ Republic did not take place overnight; in fact it was the third attempt of the Russian People to achieve such a feat. The first attempt goes as far back as 1905 where a peaceful protest led by an Orthodox priest, Father Georgy Gapon, brought a petition before the Tsar. Gapon and the protesters were no renegades or dissenters, and in fact they were carrying icons of Nicholas II who they affectionately referred to as ‘Little Papa’. The points outlined by Gapon were hardly unreasonable: the reduction of working day from 11 hours to 8 hours, the right to strike, universal suffrage and the ending of the Russo-Japanese War. The peaceful demonstrations were quashed with disproportionate bloody violence which came to be known as the Bloody Sunday, where some 200 people were killed - including children. The Tsar may have quelled the rebellion, but it was the moment he lost the Russian people. General discontent was crystallised into bitter resentment against the Tsar and the Romanov dynasty.
The uprising in March 1917 (February Revolution) seeking the end of Russian imperial rule, gathered momentum from amongst all sections of the society. A provincial government consisting mainly of the Russian nobility was established as a result, which consequently ended the 300-year-old Romanov dynasty, forcing the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II.
In April 1917, Vladimir Lenin, the exiled leader of the largest socialist group, the Bolshevik Party, arrived in a sealed train under the auspices of Germany at the Finland Station in Petrograd, amidst a raucous reception.
Lenin denounced the provincial government - in no uncertain terms - as it failed to meet the expectations of a beleaguered nation. Although Lenin was professing his belief in a Workers Republic where the dictatorship of the Proletariat would prevail, the machinations were orchestrated by a vanguard party that consisted of professional revolutionary cadres under the leadership of Leon Trotsky. The Bolsheviks overthrew the provincial government in an almost bloodless coup d'état on the 7th of November 1917 and hence the first Workers’ Republic was established. It is known as the October Revolution as Russia was still using the Julian calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar used in the West.
Despite its many shortcomings, the Russian Revolution laid down a blueprint for social welfare systems around the world. The ethos of the Revolution dramatically improved the working conditions of Russia’s work force through the introduction of an eight-hour working day. Three years later, Lenin introduced free universal healthcare to all citizens of the nation.
Women’s rights, which were hitherto almost non-existent across the West, received a renaissance where the social, political and bodily autonomy of women were recognised. To achieve this, Lenin enshrined a number of rights in law: the right to divorce, the right of maternity leave, free childcare, voting, education, the right to stand for office and the right to have an abortion. Soon after these reforms women were able to fully participate in various sectors that had previously been the preserve of men, such as the armed forces, mining, education, science and technology. Undoubtedly this was a major shift in redressing the previous gender inequality.
The revolutionary leaders such as Lenin and Trotsky were hoping that the October Revolution would provide a template for socialist revolutions around Europe, which would eventually facilitate the fall of capitalism. But this optimism was thwarted by shrewd rear-guard actions from governments of the West who were supremely aware of the growing momentum of socialist elements in their countries.
For example, the reforms such as the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt in the United States in the 1930s, the reforms of the 1950s-1960s in both Great Britain and Germany, and the de Gaulle reforms in France, were direct responses intended to dampen the allure of socialism and avoid October Revolution type depositions.
Due to two World Wars, European imperialism was already on its knees and the coup de grace came through global socialism, which hastened the transfer of power in many Asian and African dominions.
Despite the decline and fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the October Revolution remains a haunting spectre to some but a shining beacon to the rest.