VOA常速英语:俄国神圣的十月革命现在被视为“共产主义政变”

Soviet propaganda made the storming of the Tsar’s Winter Palace an iconic legend of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

“We see in it crowds of people running from the Palace Square, climbing the gates,then running up this staircase and storming the Winter Palace, in reality there was nothing of the kind.”

That’s because the Bolsheviks faced little resistance, much of the palace was being used as a hospital for wounded troops.

The provisional government leaders, in power only months after the monarchy was deposed, were found and arrested.

“In fact, from the very beginning, the Bolsheviks themselves called it a coup.The word ‘revolution’ came into being much later.At the very beginning they were called ‘the February Revolution’ and ‘the October Coup.’ And we are now returning to the same terms.”

The Bolsheviks later executed the royal family, the Romanovs, comparing their actions to the French Revolution.

But a century later, more Russians see the Bolsheviks as a power-hungry group biding their time until their moment arrived.

“They chose a certain doctrine and followed it, as they wanted to seize power, nothing else interested them.”

Critics acknowledge the Bolsheviks’ communist system leveled the field for a nation of peasants.Yet modern Russia sees the bloodshed that followed as a tragedy, and debates how much of it was necessary.

“Neither can we turn down everything that was made by the Soviet government during the 20th century.The achievements were also quite considerable.Besides some tragic pages, there were achievements in science, culture, art, as well as in the field of international policy.”

Soviet propaganda no longer dictates how Russians view the Bolsheviks and the coup they launched 100 years ago.

While their motives are questioned, few doubt the impact their actions had in giving birth to the Soviet Union.

Daniel Schearf, VOA news, St. Petersburg.