On 16 November, the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory organises a debate in the Narva Museum on the bolshevik coup of October 1917 and its impact on Estonia. The discussion will take place in Russian between the well known historian, and history professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts, David Vseviov, and historian and editor of the portal rus.Edasi.org, Ivan Lavrentjev. The event is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
This November, 101 years will have passed since the coup that took place in Russia’s capital of the time, Petrograd (now St Petersburg), which brought to power the Bolshevik government based on communist ideology. This was the beginning of the totalitarian Soviet state, which existed for 70 years. The direct and indirect effects of the coup are felt throughout the world, especially in Russia and in the neighbouring regions. The debate on the political, cultural and socioeconomic consequences of the coup in October still continues. A better understanding of this historical event is important for raising awareness of the historical heritage of the XX century.
The event will address, among other things, the following issues:
– What kind of slogans and ideological techniques were used by the Bolsheviks, and how did their activities appear in Europe?
– How and to whom did the Bolsheviks apply terror to secure power and what justifications were used for this purpose? What kind of impact was left to the societies that survived the terrorist attacks?
– Why did the Estonian people, who were geographically so close to the coup d’état, among whom there were quite a lot of supporters of the socialist movement, not join the Bolshevik cause, but ultimately chose to become a democratic, independent republic?
The event is organized in cooperation with the youth association Open Republic.
