Published: 12:15 AM, 28 September 2026
October Approaches With Memories of the Great Bolshevik Revolution
As October approaches each year, historians and political thinkers turn their attention to one of the most consequential events of the 20th century—the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The revolution transformed Russia, altered the balance of world politics and inspired generations of people who believed that society could be reorganized around greater economic justice and social equality.
The events of 1917 cannot be understood without considering the ideas of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. Marx, the German philosopher and economist, developed a powerful critique of capitalism and examined the conflict between social classes, particularly between those who owned productive property and those who depended on their labor. His writings, including The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, profoundly influenced socialist and labor movements around the world.
Lenin, building on Marxist ideas, became the principal leader of the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. He argued that workers and their political organizations could play a decisive role in overthrowing the existing political order. His leadership during the upheavals of 1917 made him one of the most influential and controversial political figures of the modern era.
The Bolshevik Revolution began amid war, poverty, food shortages, political repression and widespread dissatisfaction with Russia's imperial government. In October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized key centers of power in Petrograd and established a new revolutionary government. The event eventually led to the creation of the Soviet Union and had enormous consequences for international politics.
Lenin remains a deeply debated historical figure. Supporters have viewed him as a revolutionary who sought to end exploitation and create a society based on workers' interests. Critics, however, point to political repression, restrictions on political opposition and the concentration of power that developed under the revolutionary government. A serious understanding of Lenin therefore requires recognition of both his enormous historical influence and the controversies surrounding his rule.
The same complexity applies to Karl Marx. His analysis of class, labor, wealth, and economic power influenced trade unions, socialist parties, academic scholarhood and social reform movements far beyond Europe. Even societies that rejected Marxism were affected by debates over working conditions, wages, social security, and the relationship between economic power and political influence.
More than a century later, one issue raised by these historical debates remains highly relevant: the equal rights and dignity of workers everywhere. A peaceful and prosperous world cannot be built while large sections of working people are denied fair treatment, safe workplaces, reasonable wages, or the freedom to organize and bargain collectively.
Equal rights for workers do not belong to any single political ideology. They are connected to basic principles of human dignity and social justice. Workers should be able to earn a living without exploitation, discrimination or dangerous conditions. They should have access to education, healthcare, social protection and opportunities to improve their lives and those of their families.
The history of the Bolshevik Revolution also reminds the world that extreme inequality and political exclusion can produce profound social upheaval. Governments, businesses and societies therefore have a shared responsibility to ensure that economic progress benefits ordinary people rather than leaving them behind.
As October returns, the memory of 1917 should invite reflection rather than simple celebration or condemnation. The revolution changed the course of history, while Marx and Lenin left intellectual and political legacies that continue to be debated. Their ideas helped place questions of class, labor, inequality and economic justice at the center of global political discussion.
The enduring lesson may be that prosperity and peace require more than economic growth. They require dignity, opportunity, justice and equal rights for working people. If nations can pursue these principles through peaceful, democratic, and lawful means, the world can move closer to a future in which economic progress and human dignity advance together.
Mahfuz Ul Hasib Chowdhury
is a contributor to different
English newspapers and magazines.
The writer is also a Commonwealth Open University Fellow.
