100 years ago, the Bolsheviks took over by ousting the government. During a particular period of time, they had spoken about those events like about a coup, but later started to create this illusion about the big October revolution. Undoubtedly, that negative event had a deep imprint on the body and face of the territory between the Prut and Nistru – the Republic of Moldova – and beyond the Nistru, Valeriu Munteanu, deputy chairman of the Liberal Party, stated in a public debate entitled “A century of Russian Revolution: consequences and expectations”, which was the 80th installment of the series “Developing political culture by public debates” and was staged by IPN News Agency and Radio Moldova.
Valeriu Munteanu noted that what happened 100 years ago was a classical coup when a party with insignificant weight took over in Russia. The Bolsheviks took over by ousting the government. “During a particular period of time, they had spoken about those events like about a coup, but later started to create this illusion about the big October revolution and Lenin’s efforts. We should admit that they had social adherence. The people were poor and hungry and were waiting for benefits for them, but what was promised and offered to them was shortly taken back,” stated the politician.
He noted that the consequences for the whole Soviet Union were dramatic because at least 80-100 million people died in the period after the coup and until the dismemberment of the Soviet Union. “There are no other countries where the rulers would have killed the own people like the Russians did to the own people and the people occupied and subdued by them,” said the Liberal heavyweight.
“Undoubtedly, that negative event had a deep imprint on the body and face of the territory between the Prut and Nistru – the Republic of Moldova – and beyond the Nistru. Definitely, the political decision-makers of the past, present and future learn and will yet learn the lesson and will still feel the effects of the habits acquired during the Soviet occupation, paying tribute to an occupation regime,” stated Valeriu Munteanu.
According to him, the appraisals about the political class also apply to most of the citizens who were born and lived in semi-freedom and totalitarianism and hardly understand the value and necessity of being free, of thinking freely and of living in freedom. That model of autocracy projected by the Soviet Union continues to be very popular.
The politician also said that the scope and context of this catastrophe are very clear for everyone. Similar events existed in other European states, but these resisted and didn’t implement that model till the end. “Now everyone sees where those states are and how they develop and ensure those social rights on which the Soviets insisted so much. A large part of our society, about two thirds, remains hostage to those chimeras surviving in the Republic of Moldova and during 25 years we didn’t manage to build capacities to discuss the negative effects of the past events and the future direction,” stated Valeriu Munteanu.
The public debate “A century of Russian Revolution: consequences and expectations” was the 80th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture by public debates” that are organized with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
