Our good friend Andy Blunden, author of books such as For Ethical Politics and creator of the Hegel-by-Hypertext web archive (among many others), has kindly written the following article for greeklish.org.

The Winter Palace Seized (detail) by V. Serov

25 October this year marks the 90th anniversary of one of the most astounding events in all history. On 24 February the Russian people had risen up, overthrown the Tsar and demanded an end to the war. Eight months later, when the democratic government which had taken over from the Tsar had still failed to pull Russia out of the War, workers and soldiers overthrew the government in an almost bloodless revolution, and installed a Bolshevik government in its place.

The Bolsheviks made good on their promises and on 3 March 1918 they signed a Peace with Germany and allowed the Germans to carry away almost everything that could be moved in ‘reparations’ later handed over to the Allies for Germany’s reparations. But the Russian people had put an end to the war insofar as it was in their control and the peasants dumped their guns and went back to their farms!

And what thanks did the Russian people receive for their contribution to world peace? Did Lenin and Trotsky get the Nobel Peace Prize for being the first politicians ever to pull their own country out of a war – and while on the winning side to boot! No, as soon as the war with Germany was over, the young republic, already decimated by war was invaded by 14 armies with the aim of putting big business back in control of Russia. Russia was levelled: Famine and plague stalked the land.

But the Soviet Union did survive, albeit through enormous suffering, and survived for a further 70 years, surviving blockade, invasion and the threat of nuclear annihilation.

If Senates and Houses of Representatives can’t stop Presidents and Prime Ministers from making war, then surely the Russian Revolution showed the way. If you leave politics to the politicians then you can’t complain if what you get is war and terror.

Take a few minutes to study the Russian Revolution today!

Andy Blunden
13 October 2007

Lenin addresses the Second All-Russia Congress of Soviets (detail) by V. Serov

Note:  Images from An Illustrated History of the Great October Socialist Revolution: 1917, Month by Month, Progress Publishers, 1980.