Editorial, LESSONS OF OCTOBER, in 15 November 2014 October Revolution Special issue, Vol. 10, Part 2, No. 21 issue

LESSONS OF OCTOBER

In his historic polemic under this caption Leon Trotsky might have dealt mainly with the course of the proletarian revolution as it was then rife in Russia, on the genius of a Lenin who could gauge the real heat of the then convulsions to make a sudden shift in the leader party’s line and steer it toward victory in the revolution, as also warned against right deviationist, oppressive policies and measures of certain sections of revolutionaries themselves, etc. but here we are more concerned with the great lessons that historic Socialist Revolution left for the humankind as a whole. It was this revolution which for the first time in the world decisively overthrew and declared the demise of the then rampant coarse capitalist development modes in Russia and other backward regions under its control and ushered in a real rule of the masses – a sort of democratic dictatorship of the workers and peasants. New forms of state organization were developed, universal adult franchise for all including women and discriminated races and tribes was granted; the entire land was nationalized but mainly distributed to the poor and needy among the peasantry while protecting the interests of the non-exploitative sections too. All the industries nationalized and collective property made the chief norm with private property confined to personal assets that ought not to allow for exploitation of other humans. The get-rich-quick-anyhow mentality was decried and universal social welfare declared as the prime motif of the revolution. Stupendous efforts were made by the ruling party as well as the dedicated masses for war against counter revolutionary forces and for socialist construction on a gigantic scale and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics emerged as the brilliant beacon for the toilng people all over the world and as a bastion for the fighting forces against all forms of oppression and injustices in all countries. Colonialism was unequivocally condemned and pre & post World War II we saw the enormous contributions of the USSR for the defeat of Fascism and end of colonialism. Of course, totalitarian excesses did occur with not proletarian democracy but a new form of oppression and suppression of human rights and initiatives thriving in the garb of state socialism and all that, with the changing circumstances, contributed to the decline and fall of the Socialist Camp. But this great experiment in human history and its glorious contributions to the cause of socialism, democracy and human welfare still serve as an undying inspiration to the people of the world who now have to take to new measures for building a humane socialist society, with guaranteed human rights and liberties, for sustainable development and universal peace. §§§