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October Revolution anniversary officially observed in Belarus

The 91st anniversary of the October Revolution (the overthrow of a provisional government in Russia) is officially observed in Belarus on November 7 although society remains divided over whether the date is worth celebrating.

Belarus is the only post-Soviet country where the Bolsheviks' coup d'etat on November 7, 1917, or October 25 Old Style, which was called the Great October Socialist Revolution in the Soviet era, is still officially celebrated.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Friday greeted the nation on the October Revolution anniversary, saying that “the Great October’s victory opened a new page in world history.”

“Having declared the principle of nations’ right to self-determination, it created previously unheard-of opportunities for national revival, peoples’ accelerated social, economic and cultural development. It is thanks to the Soviet government that the Belarusians obtained its statehood – the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic — for the first time ever,” Mr. Lukashenka said in the message.

In an interview with BelaPAN, Syarhey Vaznyak, a top member of the Belarusian Party of Communists, described the October Revolution as a “historic breakthrough to popular rule” that involved “wide popular masses” in government.

However, he said, the revolution’s ideals were corrupted following Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin’s death and “soviets’ democratic government was replaced by the party elite’s uncontrolled rule.”

The politician expressed certainty that socialist values would be popular again in the 21st century as they are based on “ideas of social justice that are attractive to humanity in all times.”

Historian Yakaw Basin stressed that the October Revolution had caused millions of deaths and multiple ordeals for many nations.

“The Bolsheviks brought the monopolization of power, the nationalization of industries, violence, the destruction of millions of dissidents, as well as the destruction of the moral foundations of society’s life,” he said in an interview with BelaPAN.