Non-stop revolution

The revolution continues. Young people like Stalin and the October Revolution. The new generation felt the spirit of our time

Alexey Levinson
head of the sociocultural department
Levada Center Research

The assessment of the revolution, according to the observations of the Levada Center, has undergone a curious transformation. Sociologists asked the question: “The anniversary of the October Revolution is approaching. Which of the following statements would you most likely agree with? - and offered two answers: "The revolution opened a new era in the history of the peoples of Russia, it gave impetus to their socio-economic development" and "The revolution slowed down development and became a disaster." In 1997, the ratio was as follows: 49% of respondents positively assessed the revolution, 35% negatively. 10 years have passed. Today, the number of those who rather positively assess the revolution has grown - they have become 55%, while the number of "negativists" has decreased - 26%. Although it would seem that the Communist Party - the main propagandist of the Great October Revolution - is experiencing a decline in its popularity. Other parties do not seem to raise the October Revolution to the shield. Therefore, the reason for this is the atmosphere and the values ​​of the time.

We also asked the following question: “Imagine that the October Revolution is taking place before your very eyes. What would you do? They offered the following options: “I would actively support the Bolsheviks”, “I would cooperate with the Bolsheviks in some way”, “I would try to wait out this time without participating in the events”, “I would fight against the Bolsheviks” or “I would go abroad”. Contrary to expectations over the same 10 years, changes in these alleged actions are, in general, insignificant - the share of those who would go abroad slightly increased, and the share of those who would “cooperate” and “would wait out” decreased.

10 years ago, almost 10% of young people saw themselves as fighters against the Bolsheviks. This share has now almost halved. Apparently, it's not very popular among young people to be "white" today. At the same time, the anti-communism of the early 1990s is now reflected in the responses of the older generation. Young and old change places. The share of young people was the largest among those who chose the answer “would go abroad”, and this situation has not changed at all since 1997. But among the elderly, the proportion of those who are ready to leave has grown. However, among the older generation, the proportion of those who claim that they would have fought on the side of the Bolsheviks has also grown. Among young people, both pro-communist and anti-communist views are losing their tension.

The attitude towards the leaders of the revolution has also undergone changes. Throughout this decade, we asked a question about the characters of Russian history - which of them causes sympathy, and which antipathy. In 1997, Lenin evoked sympathy from 14% of young people, and antipathy from 23%. Ten years have passed: among young people, Lenin has become more popular - 19%, and antipathy has decreased. The young are likened to the old in relation to Lenin. (And there are almost no changes among old people. They loved Lenin-Stalin and continue to love.) But young people began to treat Stalin better too. In a word, the younger generation is moving towards the old man's position, and the old people are moving towards the youth. This is a feature of our times.

Obviously, the younger generation caught the “nerve of the era”. Young people understand what is happening as a restoration of Soviet discourse. And then they draw their own conclusions.

But they are the victims of a policy that was not prepared for them. Many government reforms were perceived by the older generation as something hostile. Instead, old symbols like the Stalinist anthem and great-power rhetoric returned. That is, everything that touches the senses, but does not cost money. Gradually, however, this compensatory focus turned from a television PR campaign into the ideology of the political system as a whole. The mask stuck to the face. Retro-orientation from a game on the screen has turned into a paradigm for the existence of the country. And it was taken seriously by the younger generation.

The consequences of this today are difficult to predict. But there is hardly any doubt that such views will have a negative impact on the modernization and democratization of the country - when the current young supporters of Comrade Stalin come of age and begin to replace the country's current political class.

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