Originally Posted: February 9, 2017
The Russian Revolution of February and October 1917 is a defining watershed of the twentieth century and the centennial is commemorated and explored here in this two-day symposium.
The Russian Revolution, like the French earlier, signaled transformations of the social, political, economic, and cultural orders within and along the borders of the Russian Empire. And it would have tremendous influence beyond, including in Europe, Asia, and Latin America; indeed, its impact was truly global.
The Russian Revolution created the world’s first socialist state, the USSR, which attempted to negate or overcome the world of capitalism and markets, to build new types of government, society, family, and gender relationships according to the ideologies of Marx, Engels, and Lenin. In this world historical sense, the Russian Revolution produced Stalin and Stalinism, defeated the armies of Hitler on Soviet soil, and helped to define the Cold War.
The revolutionary events of February 1917, which brought about the collapse of the Romanov Dynasty and the wider Russian autocracy and created a short-lived democratic regime, may be seen as the classic model for the so-called “color revolutions” of the twenty-first century. Russia and Russian history are very much with us again. The emergence of the Putin project of redefining or reclaiming Russian “statehood” and Russia’s own encounter with history and memory are significant factors in global affairs. But how will 1917 be remembered in Russia and who will control the discourse?
Leading scholars of the Russian Revolution will explore these questions against the backdrop of their fresh and original research on 1917.
Lectures and presentations are free and open to the public). For more information, call 214-768-2984, email hist@smu.edu .