Orlando Figes points out that 19th century Russian literature was quote dominated by the theme of repentance for privilege. Today we do have some decent trust fund socialist kids coming from elite colleges who are doing important organizing work or writing for socialist magazines. But coming from these rich kid backgrounds very often creates issues even among the most sincere revolutionaries in terms of what socialism actually means to them and why they want it.
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The leaders of the Russian Revolutions of February and October 1917 sought to establish socialism: a deeply democratic economic and political system where the employee/employer relationship is abolished, and where workers control their workplaces, the means of production and the government via the “free association of the producers”.
Instead the revolutions resulted in the establishment of the Soviet Union: an authoritarian state where the government became the sole employer and the state controlled the workers instead of the other way around.This then became the model for “communist” countries around the world.
Why did the Soviet Union fail at socialism?
What can we learn about this failure to apply to our political struggles in the present and future?
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