Remarks on the Summary of the Manual of the Modern History
9 August 1934
As modern history is the most rich in achievements and as it is this
which is the most important thing in the modern history of bourgeois
countries, if one considers the period preceding the October Revolution
in Russia, it is the victory of the French Revolution and the
affirmation of capitalism in Europe and America which should be
emphasized and so we believe that it would be more valuable to have a
manual of modern history beginning with a chapter on the French
Revolution.
The biggest failure of the summary seems to be that it does not
emphasize clearly enough the great difference between the French
Revolution (bourgeois revolution) and the October Revolution in Russia
(socialist revolution). The central theme of a manual of modern history
must be precisely the theme of the opposition between the bourgeois
revolution and the socialist revolution. To show that the bourgeois
revolution in France (as in all other countries) in liberating the
people from the chains of feudalism and absolutism, imposes on them
instead, the chains of capitalism and bourgeois democracy, whilst
socialist revolution in Russia broke all chains and liberated the
people from all forms of exploitation and that is what must be the
thread running through a manual of modern history.
One cannot claim that the French Revolution was complete. It is still
necessary to recognize it as a bourgeois revolution and treat it as
such.
In the same way, one cannot give to our socialist revolution in Russia,
only the name October Revolution. It is necessary to qualify it with
the term socialist revolution, and to treat it as such.
Stalin – Idanov – Kirov
Bolshevik No. 3
1936
Click here to return to the Stalin Archive index.