Friday, November 7, 2014

November 7: October Revolution Day

Russia was changed forever in 1917 when the Czar Nicholas II of Russia was overthrown by the Bolshevik Party, led by one Vladimir Lenin. Shortly after seizing control, the party signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in 1918, which ended the war for them.
War was not completely over, however, and civil war began between the Red (Bloshevik) and White (anti-Bolshevik) factions in Russia, which paved the way for the future USSR. Peasants took back land, and it marked the end of feudalism in Russia. Lenin became the leader of the first ever Marxist state, and it established itself in 1922 after defeating the White Army in 1920. Since the fall of the USSR, this holiday has largely fallen out of practice, but it is not completely gone. In it's place has come National Unity Day, or Consolidation day, which people celebrate on November 3/4. On National Unity Day, thousands of Russian Nationalists parade the streets in "Russian Marches", and leaders in Russia come together to make speeches and celebrate.



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