An 2022-23 Historical Association event

The Russian Revolution remains a deeply problematic historical moment in modern Russia. On the one hand Putin’s Russia tries to harness the past to strengthen patriotism and project state authority, and there was little of either evident between 1917 and 1922 in Russian as revolution descended into brutal civil war. On the other hand, Putin is suspicious of revolution more generally, fearing that overly positive commemorations might encourage opposition to his rule. This talk explores how the Russian Revolution has been remembered in Russia since 1917 and, in particular, examines how Putin’s Russia has tried to navigate the centenary commemorations of an event too significant to
ignore but very difficult to fit into a ‘usable past’ for the current Russian state.

HA meetings will be in the Birchall Hall, Queen’s College, Taunton, by kind permission of the Headmaster, Mr Julian Noad.

The lectures begin at 7.30pm (door open at 7.00 pm) and will finish at about 8.45pm.

Entry fee – £2 per lecture (free to students)