Sunday, November 5, 2017

The Explorers' Club, № DLXXVII

Operation AXIOM: The World War—The Russian Revolution, Part V
7 November 1917: "Red October"—Lenin & the Bolsheviks, disarmed after the July Days & re-armed by the Provisional Government during the Kornilov Affair, ousted the Provisional Government; the Soviets later mythologized "Red October" as a bloody struggle, but they seized Petrograd almost without firing a shot; Kerensky drove to freedom in a motorcar borrowed from the American embassy.





Commentary: 7 November 1917 is the "New Style" (Gregorian) date. The Soviet coup d'état is called "Red October" due to the persistent Russian use of the "Old Style" (Julian) date, 25 October 1917.

Also, make no mistake, 7 November 1917 was largely bloodless, but far too much blood had already been shed since the fall of the monarchy in the February Revolution & vast seas of blood would yet be shed in the Russian Civil War, the dueling "Red Terrors" & "White Terrors," & the ensuing decades of Soviet oppression & mass-murder.


Lest we forget.

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