Tutorial #2

The Revolutionary Regime, 1918-1926 During the Civil War and

the decade of the 1920s that followed, the new Bolshevik state set
about constructing a new political, socio-economic, and cultural
order that made wholesale societal transformation a primary
political objective. Multiple meanings of The Revolution
emerged as citizens of the new socialist polity began to learn how
to speak Bolshevik. What were three (or more) of the most
important themes of this new language?
Part of the new Bolshevik language meant conforming to the worlds standard calendar:
the western Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar, which had been backed by the
Russian Orthodox Church, was abandoned by most nations in the 1700s. The switch from
a faith-based to a science-based calendar illustrates Russias move toward a more secular
society. In fact, this parallels their separation of church and state in 1918. An emphasis on
science and reason emerged, most likely as a result of recent industrialization. Marxism
regards religion as opium for the people.
Bolshevism also necessitated the spread of propaganda at every free moment. The Story
of Maria Fedotovna Filipenko ends with a very well thought out line: My life is no
longer without purpose and I call on you comrade female workers and peasants to join in
public work. In addition, hundreds of thousands of pamphlets and leaflets containing
Bolshevik propaganda were distributed to the far-reaching edges of the country via train
(SMISH 19).
Related to the Bolshevik propaganda is their intolerance for opposing political
viewpoints. Though some within the party tended to agree with popular opinion over
party discipline, Lenin still hammered out these old theoretical premises. In 1922, Lenin
used the Politburo in attempt to break the power of the church and put local clergymen
on trial (Fitzpatrick 98).