Finland – Tragic outcome of a revolution without a Bolshevik party

Per Olsson is a member of Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (ISA in Sweden). The October socialist Revolution in Russia was met with enthusiasm from workers and the oppressed around the world. Not least in neighbouring Finland which was under Russian control since 1809. It was a large principality of the Tsarist Empire, an empire which the Bolsheviks […]

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October 1917: When workers took power in Russia

Hannah Sell is a member of the Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales). With monotonous predictability the centenary of the Russian revolution has led to an outpouring of bile – not aimed in the main at the ‘acceptable’ February revolution – but at October. A cacophony of slander is attempting to drown out the […]

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Russian Revolution timeline – October 1917 – overthrow of capitalist rule!

This is the eighth in our series on the events of 1917. Dates are given in the old style Julian calendar used in Russia at the time. This was 13 days earlier than the Gregorian calendar (adopted in Russia in 1918). The working class and poor are on starvation rations. Grain prices rocket, provoking food […]

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Women of the Russian Revolution

Heather Rawling is a member of the Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales). Women workers launched the Russian revolution in February 1917. And increasing numbers would join the Bolshevik Party in the course of that revolutionary year. HEATHER RAWLING writes about how they forced their way onto the historical stage, an inspirational example to […]

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Russia: Preparing for the fall-out from the presidential election

Rob Jones is a member of Sotsialisticheskaya Alternativa (CWI in Russia). The date for the next Russian presidential election has been put off for two weeks to 18 March 2018, to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the incorporation of Crimea as part of Russia. The youth protests across Russia on 26 March 2017 in […]

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Lenin speaks at a public rally in St Petersburg 1917

October Revolution: Workers take Power in Russia – All Power to Soviets

In October 1917, the workers, with support of the poor peasants, took power in Russia. The ruling minority were out of power. For the first and only time in history, the majority of people were in charge of a country. In the February revolution, as in all revolutions, the mass of people entered the stage […]

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Russian Revolution timeline – September 1917

This is the seventh in our series on the events of 1917. Dates are given in the old style Julian calendar used in Russia at the time. This was 13 days earlier than the Gregorian calendar (adopted in Russia in 1918). The Bolshevik party still faces state repression, many of its leaders in prison or […]

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Russian Revolution timeline – July/August 1917

Below we look at the events of July and August 1917 in Russia. Dates are given in the old style Julian calendar used in Russia at the time. This was 13 days earlier than the Gregorian calendar (adopted in Russia in 1918). The economy is in crisis, with inflation out of control and workers thrown […]

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July 1917: The Bolsheviks “become a power”

Vincent Kolo is a contributor to chinaworker.info. A century ago this week, 500,000 workers and soldiers marched through the Russian capital Petrograd, with tens of thousands joining marches in Moscow, Kiev and other cities. The demonstrations on 1 July (18 June according to Russia’s old calendar), called by the pro-government socialist parties who at that […]

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Russian Revolution: May and June 1917

Niall Mulholland is a member of the Committee for a Workers’ International. May and June: Provisional Government weak but revolutionary movement not yet able to take power The situation is one of dual power: the weakness of the Provisional Government is becoming increasingly clear; the revolutionary movement not yet able to take control. Right-wing social […]

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