Russia 1917; 100 years on
After 100 years, the process which led to the creation of the USSR still polarises public opinion; authorities prefer to celebrate victory over the Nazis
One image of the last Tsar, Nicholas II in black and another in white blazon a poster of a work by Maksim Didenko which was on show until October 8 in the Russian capital in reference to John Reed’s book “Ten days that shook the word”, and the black and white is a perfect symbol of what became of those days, 100 years on.
Black and white. The Bolshevik Revolution and its consequences to the country and the world- still polarises public opinion in Russia as the country readies, or not, to commemorate the event, 25 years after the disappearance of the Soviet Union. It also meant the end of the country as a superpower and that may explain why the present regime is more intent on celebrating the victory over the Nazis in 1945.
Previous celebrations have not been successful and perhaps because of this, last December Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the anniversary as a time to search for “reconciliation.”
But can one reconcile the different sides of a revolution, one of the greatest moments of division a society can live though? Last year, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinski proposed building an impossible sculpture dedicated to the monarchist Baron Pyotr Wrangel, commander of the White Army; the anarchist Nestor Makhno, commander of the Black Army and the Bolshevik Mikhaïl Frunze, commander of the Red Army. It was not the first time such an idea had been mooted, and ignored. What seems more appropriate is to study what led to the revolution itself and the enormous changes and undeniable social, technological and industrial advances, but also the darker side of the legacy of those 10 days.