Let History Judge Russia’s Revolutions
Studying the Russian Revolution is almost as old as the revolution itself, with both the Bolsheviks and their opponents concealing, distorting, and concocting facts and circumstances. Although today’s new political reality in Russia is creating its own new myths and falsifications, historians remain free to write the impartial account of twentieth-century Russia that has yet to be produced.
A plethora of anniversaries is arriving in Russia. This month marks the 90th anniversary of the October Revolution of 1917 and the 25th anniversary of the death of Leonid Brezhnev. Next month will see the 15th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s disintegration. Only by understanding that first event, however, can we understand the others.