Russia

At large march, Venezuela's Maduro hails Russian Revolution, 'when the workers took power'

Speaking to a huge march on November 7, Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro said that, during the Russian Revolution,聽the workers took political power into their hands for the first time. "In Revolution, all times are a battle and they are a struggle!", Maduro told the popular celebration聽of the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik-led revolution on the outskirts of the Miraflores Palace Caracas.

The president recalled that the Revolution聽showed for the first time聽that workers could take聽political power in their hands to build a state.

Russian Revolution: From July Crisis to October victory

The 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the first socialist revolution in world history, was marked on October 25 鈥 the date the Bolsheviks led the revolutionary seizure of power by the soviets (elected councils of workers, peasants and soldiers).

The February Revolution and the rise of dual power

Socialists organised mass protest rallies in Petrograd (as Saint Petersburg was renamed after the outbreak of World War I in 1914) in February 1917. These protests took place on March 8 (February 23 according to the Russian calendar used at the time), International Women鈥檚 Day, rallying women workers to demand bread, peace, and liberty. But, as a contemporary police report stated, the women workers 鈥済ot out of hand.鈥

They attracted the support of large numbers of male workers as well. The police proved unable to contain the growing and increasingly volatile protests. Soon 385,000 workers were on strike and many engaged in confrontations with the police in the streets.

The background to Russia鈥檚 revolution

The 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the first socialist revolution in world history, is marked on October 25 鈥 the date the Bolsheviks lead the revolutionary seizure of power by the soviets (councils of workers, peasants and soldiers).

Socialist activist and historian Paul Le Blanc has written a detailed overview of the revolution, from its background to its aftermath. 麻豆传媒 Weekly is running it over four parts, with the first part here.

Alexandra Kollantai 鈥 a Bolshevik fighter for women鈥檚 liberation

Born in 1872 to a wealthy land-owning family, Alexandra Kollontai was raised in both Russia and Finland, acquiring an early fluency in languages which served her well in her later revolutionary work. She began her political work in 1894, when she was a new mother, by teaching evening classes for workers in St Petersburg.

Through that activity she was drawn into public and clandestine work with the Political Red Cross, an organisation set up to help political prisoners. In 1895, she read August Bebel鈥檚 Woman and Socialism, which had a major influence on her ideas about the emancipation of women.

Tsarist crimes airbrushed as Lenin gets 鈥榮how trial鈥 treatment

At Tsarskoe Selo, the Romanov monarchy鈥檚 palatial rural retreat where the former 鈥淭sar of all Russia鈥, Nicholas II, was detained after being forced to abdicate by the February 1917 revolution, the once all-powerful autocrat found much to get annoyed about.

In particular, Nicholas disliked the military bands that serenaded him with rousing renditions of the anthem of liberation,聽The Marseillaise, and, with black humour, Chopin鈥檚聽Funeral March.

Raqqa largely liberated, Rojava revolution holds commune elections

The flags of the Women鈥檚 Protection Units (YPJ) and Shengal Women's Units (YJS) were planted in the city centre of Raqqa, which had been the capital city of ISIS, on September 14.

Korea in the firing line as Trump鈥檚 UN threats reveal US war drive

US President Donald Trump made the unprecedented threat to 鈥渢otally destroy鈥 North Korea, not in a tweet or off the cuff remark, but in a written speech before the United Nations General Assembly on September 20. No other leader of a country has ever stood before the UN and openly stated its intention to destroy another country.聽

Coupled with Trump鈥檚 earlier threat to rain down 鈥渇ire and fury鈥 on North Korea, this threat must be seen as one that at least includes the possibility of a nuclear attack.

New on Links: Russia's revolutions, Marx and Engels on ecology and Georg Lukacs' legacy

Two articles and a video presentation looking at Russia's two revolutions in 1917, Marx and Engels on ecology and Lukacs' views on alienation and class consciousness

Letter from the US: Korea crisis could play into Trump's authoritarian agenda

The threat by US President Donald Trump to unleash nuclear war against North Korea is not a Trumpian 鈥渆xcess鈥.

That has been made clear by his Secretary of Defense, retired Marine General James Mattis, who backed Trump. The administration is demanding that North Korea freeze its nuclear program, including the testing of missiles.

Russian Revolution: 鈥榃orkers and soldiers 鈥 Everything is working in our favour鈥

One hundred years ago in the aftermath of defeat of the July 16-20 [3-7 in New Style] protest movement by workers and soldiers, the Bolsheviks responded to the 鈥淛uly Days鈥 setback by calling on the people to ignore provocations and expose rightist slander.

The wave of protests was repelled by military and police attacks, with hundreds of casualties, on the orders of the Provisional Government 鈥 the capitalist government that came to power after the February Revolution overthrew the Tsar and which was supported by the moderate socialists.

It was a key phase in the storm that swept Russia during 1917. This storm culminated in the October Revolution when, led by the Bolsheviks, the soviets (councils) of workers, soldiers and peasants took power, overthrowing the Provisional Government.

View from the streets in 1917: The July Days a sign of things to come

One hundred years ago, between July 16-20 [3-7 in New Style] 1917, a protest movement of workers and soldiers in Petrograd was repelled by military and police attacks, with hundreds of casualties.

It was a key phase in the storm that swept Russia during 1917. It 聽culminated in the October Revolution when, led by the Bolsheviks, the soviets (councils) of workers, soldiers and peasants took power, overthrowing the capitalist Provisional Government that was formed after the February Revolution deposed the Tsar.