Influence of Russian Revolution on Western Civilization

On the edge of XIX-XX centuries the capitalism of the free competition had turned into imperialism – monopolitical capitalism (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.). The growing social production and private capitalist appropriation of it, labour of ones and profit of others were the main processes owing to the aggravation of working class and bourgeoisie. The political parties of social army had started to form. In many countries of Western Europe, the socialist movements had appeared, where wide strata of working class participated in left-wing parties and trends (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.). The system of imperialism as a whole, had ripen for social revolutions of the new type – proletariat. As a result of unequal distribution of wealth and social cataclysms of post-war periods paved the way for breaking the chain of imperialism. Russia appeared to be that weak link in the chain of imperialism. The Russian Revolution influenced Western World to change, infecting working class to revolt globally against imperialism, the crisis of colonialism had started.

Russian Revolution of October 1917 was the child of the antagonism of classes in contradictory imperialism. It started in poorly ruled environment of Tsarism, prepared by previous revolutions of 1905-6 (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.30). “So ready was Russia for social revolution that masses treated the fall of Tsar as a proclamation of universal freedom, equality and direct democracy. The uncontrolled masses transformed into Bolshevik power” (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.36). Many political parties had arose, however, not many of them knew how to rule the huge country. As country mainly was agrarian with more than eighty per-cent of peasants, who were hungry, landless and tired of the endless wars, Bolsheviks who represente...

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...cial governmental expenses increase, pension provision and illness insurance are present in today’s life and seem so obvious and obligatory mostly were influenced by the tensions of the working class in Europe and especially Russia in the XX century. In Russian revolution, communism appeared as “the constructed of a better alternative to capitalist society”, ironically in gave the roots to the socio-capitalistic structure of XXI century, which combines both ideologies of capitalism and socialism under one wing.

History of the XX century cannot be understood without looking at Russian Revolution, whose influence brought important effects on present rights and freedoms of every individual in the social structure of today’s society (Hobsbawm, 1995, p.84).

Reference

Hobsbawm, E. (1995). Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991. Abacus, 1995.