Publication

This paper argues that Russian President Vladimir Putin is all but ignoring the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, despite him describing the disintegration of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. One explanation, the text’s author posits, is that Putin has little good to say about Lenin. Another is that Putin is increasingly seen as something akin to a new Tsar, meaning he has good reason to avoid highlighting the revolution that removed Tsar Nicholas II. However, the author also contends that this is all somewhat ironic, as Putin is very much a Leninist himself.