The Communist Party of Great Britain as witness

Title of the Article: Four Years - The Story of the Russian Revolution

Authors: T. A. Jackson and R. W. Postgate

Published in: The Communist

Date of Publication: 5 November 1921

Published by: Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)

Source: Marxists Internet Archive

The key points emphasised in this article may be summarised as follows:

The October Revolution of 1917: Russian workers and peasants took power through the Soviets — an event regarded as “impossible” throughout the world.

The Clash of Class Forces: Whilst the working people strove to establish their own rule, the bourgeoisie, the aristocracy, and their allied foreign backers launched a concerted effort to reimpose the old order.

Counter-Revolution and Foreign Intervention: There were multiple armed attempts to overthrow Soviet power from within — led by figures such as Kornilov, Denikin, and Kolchak — alongside interventions by foreign powers including Britain, France, Germany, and others. Nevertheless, the Bolsheviks succeeded in repelling all of these threats.

Demands for Peace, Land and Bread: The people called for an end to the war, the redistribution of land to the peasantry, and a solution to the hunger and deprivation. The Bolsheviks placed these demands at the core of their programme.

The Establishment of Soviet Power: Workers and peasants began constructing their own organs of governance through the Soviets.

Hardship and Famine: Though the revolution had triumphed, economic collapse, civil war and famine subjected the people to extreme hardship. This constituted a severe test of the viability of the system the Bolsheviks had offered as a beacon of hope.

World Revolution: The Russian Revolution stands as the spark that ignited the world revolution. The struggle of the Russian working class was not simply a victory confined to Russia, but a beacon of hope and courage won in the name of workers everywhere.

So, which leaders of the Bolshevik Party feature most prominently in this article summarising the revolution’s first four years? Lenin is mentioned four times, Trotsky six, and Kamenev three. Yet Stalin is not mentioned even once—not in this article, which was published in the official organ of the Communist Party of Great Britain and reflects on the first four years following the October Revolution.