Why Socialism Collapsed

On the centenary of the Russian Revolution, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury writes about the factors that led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union

- Sitaram Yechury

Participating in the centenary observations of the great October Socialist Revolution was, indeed, a rich experience. A range of emotions—a sense of triumph that it is possible to create an exploitation-free society; pride at the epic human endeavour of matching the levels of capitalist development over three centuries in a period of three decades; the inspiring impetus that this revolution provided to the struggles of the working class and other oppressed sections the world over; the establishment of Communist parties in almost all countries and the successful triumphs of the Chinese, Vietnamese, Cuban, Korean revolutions; the decisive role played by the Soviet Red Army in the defeat of fascism in World War II; the consequent decolonisation struggles that swept across the world on all continents; extending the frontiers of knowledge through space travels, and the lasting contributions in the fields of arts and aesthetics with the assertion of socialist realism in areas like cinematography, music and painting— simultaneously assaulted one’s consciousness.

It was a cold winter day in Moscow. In 1917, it must have been equally cold, if not colder, given that there were no modern-day facilities like central heating. Yet, the exploited and oppressed Russian working class and peasantry rose to storm the Tsar’s Winter Palace in St Petersburg. There was a visible resolve among the international delegates representing over 130 Communist, workers and left parties that, if Russians could succeed under these conditions, we surely need to intensify our efforts in our respective countries to advance popular struggles for socialism.