The Russian Revolution in the Contemporary Context

Abstract

The Russian Revolution of 1917 went down in history as yet another classic example (after the French Revolution) of the general logic of the unfolding of the revolutionary process, starting with the proclamation of liberty and equality (in February) and ending with one-party dictatorship and terror (in October). The present article argues that the common cause of all revolutions is the absence of a legal and legitimate means of obtaining power by the political opposition. This forces the opposition to resort to force, even armed methods of capturing power, which in turn generates a new cycle of violence, sometimes exceeding the previous one. The only alternative to this development of events is the democratic procedure of free elections, which allows those fighting for power to shift from an illegal to a legal opposition, and thereby transform themselves from professional revolutionaries into professional politicians.