Lenin at the Smolny Institute

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – USSR

The world would never be the same after the events of 7th November (25th October in the Julian calendar that had been discarded by the rest of Europe centuries before) 1917. On that day the workers and peasants of Russia, under the leadership of the Revolutionary Bolshevik Party, itself led by Lenin and Stalin, challenged the old Tsarist order and lit a beacon which – even though dimmed at times – still shines for those who hope to see the end of exploitation and oppression.

This was not the first time workers had attempted to bring an end to their misery by taking matters, and state power, into their own hands.

The most notable, and from whose failure Lenin was to learn crucial lessons, was the Paris Commune of 1871. After less than 70 days the Parisian workers were fighting for their lives as the reaction entered the city and drowned any aspirations for a better future in a virtual sea of blood – ‘Bloody Week’.

In a sense the very fact that one of the causes of the revolution (the First World War and the needless slaughter of worker fighting worker for the benefit of the ruling class) allowed the Revolution to consolidate itself for about a year before all the previous belligerents forgot what they had been doing for the previous four years and united against a more dangerous and threatening foe – that is the armed revolutionary proletariat.

Matters weren’t made any easier for the nascent workers state by the individualistic decision of Leon Trotsky, the anti-Bolshevik which Lenin had allowed into the Party, whose anti-Party activity at the Brest-Litovsk negotiations with the German High Command in 1918 – by refusing to sign an agreement which would end the German-Russo War – led to a loss of more Russian lives as well as substantial territorial losses in the west of the country.

The new Socialist State survived the military intervention of the 14 Nations – but at a huge financial and human cost – and set out to build the first Socialist country in the World. The aim of the pages associated with this one will be to tell that story through the writings of the leadership of the Bolshevik Party; material published in what was to eventually become the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as well as reports and impressions published in different parts of the World by those who were avid to experience how this new society was achieving what many could just dream about.

November 2017 saw the Centenary of the October Revolution but it was celebrated in a once again capitalist country. This teaches us an important lesson. Despite the sacrifices and stupendous efforts of many millions of Soviet citizens, especially during, but no limited to, the Great Patriotic War, capitalism – both internally and externally – will never cease in its efforts to continue its domination over the peoples of the world.

In a small manner it is hoped the documents that will eventually be posted on these pages will be of aid to those who want to know about the successes of the past – but also to be able to see where the mistakes were made.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – USSR

The History of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Leningrad (Saint Petersburg)

Moscow

Metro

Architecture

The ‘Seven Sisters’

Art and culture

Lenin in Moscow

Mainline Railway Stations

The Special Military Operation (SMO)

Stalingrad (Volgograd)

Monuments

Internationalism