Consistent Bolshevik message
Did Lenin’s April theses lead to a complete change of policy? Lars T Lih continues his series, arguing that the opposite is the case
Throughout 1917, the Bolsheviks delivered a consistent message to the soviet constituency: that is, the workers and soldiers who elected soviets in the capital cities of Petrograd and Moscow, as well as many other urban centres. The heart of this message can be stated concisely: an exclusive worker-peasant
vlast based on the soviets is the only way to effectively defend the revolution and carry out its goals.
Formulated in positive terms, the key implication of this message was: ‘All power to the soviets!’ Stated in negative terms, the key implication was
.
Location of Northern Ireland (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the United Kingdom (green) |Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
(openDemocracy) Nikolai Sukhanov is used to flags of convenience. The flags of many nations flutter from the stern of ships on the docks and quays of Nakhodka in Russia’s far east. Owners often register their vessels thousands of miles from home, in countries with far looser regulations and restrictions than their own.
Sukhanov, a veteran trade union organiser, spends his days clambering onto ships berthed in the Pacific port, checking that sailors are treated well and paid properly. They very often are not.