The Russian historiography of the Great October Socialist Revolution has rich traditions laid down by V. I. Lenin, the leader of the Proletarian Revolution and its first historian. The problems of October were widely covered in the works of Soviet historians .1 An important stage in the study of the history of the October Revolution is the last decade. Over the years, the Central Committee of the CPSU has adopted a number of documents of extreme importance, which are a significant contribution to the creative development of Marxist-Leninist theory and contain deep scientific generalizations of the historical experience of our party .2
The current stage of studying the history of the October Revolution is characterized by a further expansion of the source base of research. In the second half of the 60s, significant publications of new documentary materials were published in the center and in the field. In connection with the 50th anniversary of October, a number of collections of memoirs of participants in the revolution were published. The multi-volume publication " Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Biographical Chronicle", the fourth volume of which, published in 1973, covers the period of preparation and victory of the October Revolution. IML under the Central Committee of the CPSU prepared the next volumes of " Correspondence of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) with local party organizations "(vols. III-V. M. 1967, 1970), which contain extensive material revealing the inner life of the party during the decisive events of the revolution. The publication of documents of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee has been completed .3 Podgo is of considerable interest-

1 For a historiographical analysis of this literature, see: E. N. Gorodetsky. Some features of modern Soviet historiography of the October Revolution. "History of the USSR", 1967, N 5; V. M. Vodolagin. October Armed Uprising in Soviet Historical Literature, Moscow, 1967; A.V. Kachurina. The Bolshevik Party-inspirer and organizer of the Moscow armed uprising in October 1917. Moscow, 1967; E. I. Teplyashina. V. I. Lenin-leader of the October armed uprising. Historiographical Review, Moscow, 1970; A. Ya. Grunt. Historiographical notes on the "Moscow October". "History of the USSR", 1972, N 5; Kh. M. Astrakhan. The history of the bourgeois and petty-bourgeois parties in Russia in 1917 in the latest Soviet literature. Voprosy Istorii, 1975, No. 2; Partiya i Velikiy Oktyabr, Moscow, 1976, et al.

2 Among these documents: "On preparations for the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution". Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU ("The CPSU in resolutions and decisions of congresses, conferences and plenums of the Central Committee", Ed. 8-e. t. 9); "50 years of the Great October Socialist Revolution". Theses of the Central Committee. CPSU (ibid.); "To the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin". Theses of the Central Committee of the CPSU (ibid., vol. 10); reports of L. I. Brezhnev "50 years of the great victories of socialism", "On the centenary of the birth of V. I. Lenin", "On the 50th anniversary of the formation of the USSR"; Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On the 60th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution".

3 "Documents of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee". Tt. 1-3. Moscow, 1966-1967.

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compiled by V. V. Anikeev publications " Activities of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) in 1917. Chronicle of Events "(Moscow, 1969) and " Activities of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) - RCP (b) in 1917-1918. Chronicle of Events "(Moscow, 1974).

The latest Soviet historiography of the Great October Revolution has important qualitative features. It is characterized by a tendency to develop major theoretical problems, to create works of a generalizing nature, and to turn more and more widely to such leading problems as the activities of the working class, the Communist Party, and Lenin. It is characterized by a deeper, more detailed study of both the general laws of the revolution and its features, and increased attention to the socio - economic and political prerequisites of October. The period under review was a time of intense discussions on the cardinal problems of the history of the October Revolution, which resulted in a thorough and in-depth study of the correlation and alignment of class forces in the revolution, the problems of the alliance of the working class with the peasantry, and the activities of the Communist Party. The literature of recent years continues the line of creative development of the most important questions of the history of the Great October, laid down in the best works of Marxist-Leninist historiography of the previous period.

Among the works on the history of October, the leading place belongs to large, generalizing monographs devoted to the revolution as a whole. They seem to integrate the scientific efforts of a large team of scientists, summarize and synthesize the achievements of researchers of the most important problems of the world. Fundamental editions 4 and monographs 5 were published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the revolution .

The three-volume work of Academician I. I. Mints was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1974. The generalizing character of this work was expressed primarily in a broad chronological coverage of events: from the end of the nineteenth century, when Russia entered the imperialist stage of development, to 1918. This allowed the author to reveal in a historical perspective the regularities of the revolutionary process in Russia, its stages, international background, and direction of development, and to comprehensively assess the experience of two democratic revolutions (in 1905-1907 and in February 1917) and the significance of this experience for the implementation of the third, the socialist revolution in October 1917. The study focuses on the Communist Party and its titanic activities in the period from February to October. The author managed to recreate a picture of the activities of local organizations of the party, its Central Committee, and its bodies created during the preparation of the socialist revolution. The most important place in this work is given to the role of the proletariat in the revolution. The author gave a comprehensive description of the Russian proletariat, emphasizing its organization, revolutionary character, high political consciousness, and steadfastness in the struggle. The proletariat consistently acted as the leading force of the revolution, the hegemon of the masses of the people; the implementation of this role by the proletariat at all stages of the revolution is considered by I. I. Mints on the basis of an analysis of a rich documentary material. The monograph reveals the great international significance of the October Revolution, which was expressed not only in the fact that its basic laws are universal, but also in the fact that it proclaimed the principles of peace and proletarian democracy.-

4 "History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union", Vol. 3, book 1 (March 1917-March 1918), Moscow, 1967; "History of the USSR from ancient Times to the present day", Vol. VII. The Great October Socialist Revolution and the Civil War in the USSR, 1917-1920, Moscow, 1967.

5 "History of the Great October Socialist Revolution", Moscow, 1967; I. I. Mints. Istoriya Velikogo Oktyabrya [History of the Great October], Vol. 1, Moscow, 1967; G. N. Golikov. Revolutions that opened a new era, Moscow, 1967.

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It testified to the revolutionary initiative of the Russian proletariat in the struggle for the establishment of the principles of socialism, helped to increase the organization of the masses of the people and strengthen their influence on politics.

Lenin's theme plays an important role in the historiography of October. The October Leninism combines the theory and practice of the socialist revolution, the methodology of studying it, and the concrete historical coverage of its history. In recent years, the study of the problems of Lenin's theory of the socialist revolution has intensified .6 Topical issues of its development are deeply and comprehensively analyzed in the most important documents of the international communist movement, the CPSU congresses, and the plenums of its Central Committee. In a number of publications, Lenin's contribution to the development of the theory of the socialist revolution is thoroughly analyzed, and its main issues are considered on the experience of the Great October 7 . These works summarize the most important features and patterns of the October Revolution, as well as the international significance of its experience. It is quite natural that the methodological problems of Lenin's theory of revolution are considered in them in connection with the analysis of the development of the world revolutionary process in modern conditions.

The study of the problems of the theory of the socialist revolution is carried out in the indissoluble connection of all its elements, all its components as a single whole. At the same time, at each historical stage in the study of the topic, different problems and different aspects of Lenin's theory of the socialist revolution are brought to the fore. At present, special interest is shown in studying the laws of October, its socio-economic and political prerequisites, the hegemony of the proletariat in the socialist revolution, the allies of the proletariat, the relationship between objective conditions and the subjective factor of the socialist revolution, the ways and forms of revolutionary struggle, peaceful and non-peaceful ways of developing the revolution, the historical significance of the dictatorship of the proletariat, the role of the CPSU as an organizer and the mastermind of the socialist revolution.

The second direction in the study of Lenin's themes is connected with the study of the question "Lenin as a historian of October". The monographs on this topic 8 provide an in depth analysis of Lenin's concept of the history of socialism-

6 The study of these issues was also particularly important because during the period under review, Soviet historiography encountered serious methodological errors in covering the history of October. Under the guise of a" new reading of Lenin", attempts were made to reconsider the question of the prerequisites and content of the October Revolution, its driving forces, and the role of the proletariat as the hegemon of the revolution. Deep and well-reasoned criticism of these mistakes is given in the articles: P. A. Golub, V. Ya. Laverychev, P. N. Sobolev. About the book "The Russian Proletariat: Shape, Struggle, Hegemony". "Questions of the History of the CPSU", 1972, No. 9; K. G. Levykin, A.M. Sivolobov, G. V. Sharapov. About the book "Questions of the History of capitalist Russia. The problem of multiplicity". "Questions of the History of the CPSU", 1973, N 11; I. V. Kuznetsov. On the ways and diversity of capitalist Russia. Voprosy Istorii, 1974, No. 7.

7 A.M. Kovalev. Marxist-Leninist theory of the Socialist Revolution and Modernity, Moscow, 1967. Contents and laws of the world revolutionary process, Moscow, 1974; Yu. A. Krasin. Lenin, the revolution, the present (Problems Leninist theory of socialist revolution). M. 1967; it. Dialectics of the revolutionary process. Metodologicheskie problemy [Methodological problems], Moscow, 1972; M. A. Seleznev. Sotsial'naya revolyutsiya (Metodologicheskie problemy) [Social Revolution (Methodological Problems)], Moscow, 1971; "Leninskaya teoriya sotsialisticheskoi revolyutsii i sovremennost", Moscow, 1975. Dialektika leninskogo issledovaniya imperializma i revolyutsiya [Dialectics of Lenin's Study of Imperialism and Revolution]. Three Revolutions in Russia and our Time, Moscow, 1977.

8 "V. I. Lenin on the historical experience of the Great October", Moscow, 1969; A. G. Chernykh. V. I. Lenin-Historian of the Proletarian Revolution in Russia, Moscow, 1969; "V. I. Lenin and the History of Classes and Political Parties in Russia", Moscow, 1970; E. N. Gorodetsky. Lenin-the founder of Soviet Historical Science, Moscow 1970; M. E. Solovyov, V. I. Lenin on the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia, Moscow 1971;

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Other important aspects of the problem have also been highlighted. Interesting studies have been carried out that reveal the laboratory of Leninist thought, the process of Lenin's generalization of specific facts of the history of October. The collective monograph "Lenin and the Revolution, 1917" (L. 1970) was highly appreciated by the scientific community. Its advantage lies in its extensive use of factual material, in its in-depth analysis of Lenin's works created in 1917. The authors tried to examine the events of 1917 through the prism of Lenin's writings, trace the development of Lenin's thought, and analyze Lenin's assessments of the rapidly changing political situation in Russia. Some of the statements made by the authors are controversial, but nevertheless the book itself attracts with the originality of the idea, the depth of its execution.

The third area of research is the study of Lenin's activities in the revolution. These works, as a rule, are not limited to the consideration of specific facts revealing the direct activities of the leader of the revolution, but rise to broad generalizations, combining concrete historical coverage with an analysis of questions of theory, Lenin's views, his assessments of individual events of the revolution, its individual problems. Leniniana was supplemented with numerous books, pamphlets, and articles devoted to various issues of Lenin's activity in the October and post-October periods. Some of his works characterize him as a statesman and reveal his role in shaping Soviet foreign policy, in the creation of the Red Army, in the development of Soviet military science, and in economic and cultural construction. 9 An important contribution to the study of Lenin's theoretical and organizational activities for the creation of a socialist state in Russia is made by the collective monograph " The Soviet State-the First Year "(Moscow, 1973).

The attention of historians is drawn to the study of Lenin's role in organizing the work of the Council of People's Commissars. Important questions on this topic have been raised and successfully addressed in a number of monographs10 . M. P. Iroshnikov managed to make a new step in the study of this problem. His latest books are in line with the works that the author has been doing for many years. These fundamental studies are distinguished by a wealth of documentary material. It is of great interest to analyze Lenin's contribution to the development of the Marxist doctrine of the breakdown of the bourgeois state, to highlight Lenin's organizational and practical activities as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, his role in the formation and strengthening of the first Soviet government, in the construction and functioning of the proletarian administrative apparatus, in directing the internal and foreign policy of the Republic of Soviets, armed with the defense of the conquests of October, in the organization of socialist construction.

A. A. Matyugin, V. I. Lenin on the historical role of the working class, Moscow, 1974, et al.

9 Yu. I. Korablev. V. I. Lenin and the creation of the Red Army. Moscow 1970; N. N. Azovtsev. V. I. Lenin and Soviet military Science. Moscow 1971; A. O. Chubaryan. V. I. Lenin and the formation of Soviet foreign policy. Moscow 1972; V. V. Gorbunov. V. I. Lenin and Proletkult. Moscow 1974; R. M. Savitskaya. V. I. Lenin's activity in the field of economic construction. October 1917-June 1918. Historiographical sketch, Moscow, 1975.

10 V. M. Shapko. Justification of V. I. Lenin's principles of state leadership. Moscow, 1968; R. M. Savitskaya. Essay on the state activity of V. I. Lenin. March-July 1918, Moscow, 1969; K. I. Varlamov. Lenin's concept of Socialist Management (genesis, formation), Moscow, 1973; E. V. Klopov, E. I. Korenevskaya. The Government Born in October, Moscow, 1974; M. P. Iroshnikov. Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin). Ocherki gosudarstvennoi deyatel'nosti v 1917-1918 gg. l. 1974; izd. At the head of the Council of People's Commissars. State activity of V. I. Lenin in 1917-1922 L. 1976.

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Soviet historians celebrate the 60th anniversary of Great October with significant achievements in studying the history of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union-the inspirer and organizer of the socialist revolution in Russia. The largest and most significant work in this area is the 3rd volume of the multi-volume History of the CPSU, which provides an in-depth analysis of the main problems of the party's history and activities during the preparation and conduct of the socialist revolution. Based on Lenin's theoretical heritage, the volume examines in detail the process of developing and approving the party's strategic line, its tactics at various stages of the revolution, and draws on a large amount of factual material, including those that are being introduced into scientific use for the first time. An in-depth analysis of the historical conditionality of Lenin's policy of armed insurrection is given in the book by A. M. Sovokin. Attempts have been made to create generalizing essays on the party as the leader of the socialist revolution .11 Monographs on the party's activities in the period leading up to the October Revolution are of great interest .12
The discussions that took place in the late 50s and early 60s revealed serious mistakes in the approach to covering the party's activities after it emerged from the underground. The incorrect position of some party leaders was portrayed as characteristic of the party as a whole, as defining the main lines of party activity before the April Conference, before Lenin's arrival in Russia. This approach obscured the enormous revolutionary work of the Bolsheviks and the serious difficulties that complicated the development of a new political course. All this ultimately led to the claim that the party had virtually no firm class positions during this period. These erroneous propositions were criticized in the works of Soviet historians .13 In the light of the above, V. A. Kuvshinov's monograph is of great importance as the first in-depth study of the party's activities after it emerged from the underground. A. M. Sovokin, relying on extensive archival material, analyzed the process of developing and implementing the party's course for armed insurrection, its military-technical preparation, and traced the historical conditionality of the non-peaceful path of development of the Russian revolution He showed how the party dealt with the preparation of an armed uprising in the face of a national crisis that was brewing and escalating. The monograph uses new materials describing the work of the VI Party Congress.

The study of the history of local party organizations is of great importance. The corresponding essays are published in all the Union republics and in a significant part of the country's regions. An important place in them is given to the period of the party's struggle for the victory of October. In addition, in all the Union republics, in many regional and regional centers, works on the history of the Bolshevik struggle for the establishment of Soviet power were published, in particular, interesting monographs on the events in Guber-

11 A.M. Sovokin. ON THE WAY TO October. Problems of peaceful and armed struggle for the power of the Soviets, Moscow, 1977; D. M. Kukin. Leninist Party-the Leader of the Great October, Moscow, 1967; S. I. Murashov. Lenin's Party-the Leader of the Great October Socialist Revolution, Moscow, 1970; I. F. Petrov. Leninist Party-inspirer and organizer of the victory of the Great October. Moscow, 1977.

12 A. S. Dubinin. The Communist Party-inspirer and organizer of the All-Russian armed Uprising, Moscow, 1973; A. M. Sovokin. On the Eve of October (Preparation of the victory of the armed Uprising), Moscow, 1973; V. A. Kuvshinov. The Bolshevik Party after the overthrow of the autocracy (March-early April 1917). Moscow, 1975; G. Golikov. Great October. The beginning of a new era, Moscow, 1977.

13 E. I. Bugaev. On the Question of the Party's Tactics in March-Early April 1917, Voprosy Istorii CPSU, 1957, no. 1; izd. Lenin's plan for the transition to the Socialist Revolution. "Kommunist", 1962, N 6; V. E. Evgrafov. Some Questions of Party Tactics in March-Early April 1917. Voprosy Istorii CPSU, 1962, No. 3, etc.

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Central Russia, the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Siberia and the Far East 14 .

An important feature of modern historiography of the Great October Socialist Revolution is the study of the problems of party building .15 Researchers have highlighted Lenin's role in developing the ideological and organizational foundations of party building; relying on a wide range of sources, they have revealed the processes of the party's internal life, its construction after coming out of the underground, during the preparation of the socialist revolution and in the first years of the dictatorship of the proletariat. An analysis of the processes of internal development of the party, changes in the forms and methods of its work made it possible to show the origins of its influence on the broad masses of workers, peasants, soldiers and sailors, and the role of party organs in mobilizing workers to win the socialist revolution, defend its gains, and defeat the forces of internal and external counter-revolution.

A special place in the historiography of the Great October is occupied by works about the turning points of the revolution, its most important stages. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of research in this area: it makes it possible to analyze more deeply the patterns of development of the revolution, to show more clearly the class meaning of events, and in relation to each stage of the revolution, to reveal not only the goals of individual classes, but also the real forces that they possessed, the means by which they In the 50s-60s, Soviet historians created a number of fundamental works on this issue. Over the past decade, they have focused on issues such as the fight against the Kornilov revolt, the October Armed Uprising, and the suppression of anti-Soviet riots after the victory of the Socialist Revolution. 16 Researchers are particularly attracted to the history of the October Armed Uprising. This problem has found deep coverage in the above-mentioned three-volume work of I. I. Mints and the collective monograph of Leningrad historians on the October armed uprising in Petrograd, in which the most important issues of the topic are considered in close connection with the development of events in the country.

As you know, there are disputes among historians about the definition of the nature of the armed struggle in Moscow, the reasons for its fierceness and duration. A notable phenomenon in the study of the history of October in Moscow is the monograph by A. Ya. Grunt17, which comprehensively reveals the role of Moscow in the socialist revolution. The author has given a detailed analysis of the opposing forces: the proletariat and its allies.

14 L. I. Belikova. Communists of Primorye in the struggle for Soviet power in the Far East. Khabarovsk. 1967; V. F. Morozov. The struggle of the Bolshevik Party for the establishment of Soviet power in the provinces of Central Russia. Saratov - Penza. 1967; B. P. Ekati. The Terek Bolsheviks are the organizers of the workers ' struggle for the establishment and consolidation of Soviet power in North Ossetia. Ordzhonikidze. 1970; B. B. Batuev. The Bolshevik Party is the organizer of the victory of Soviet power in Eastern Siberia. Ulan-Ude, 1971; K. T. Laikanov. October in Karachay-Cherkessia. The Bolshevik struggle for Soviet power, 1917-1920. Cherkessk. 1971; " The struggle of the Bolsheviks for the establishment and consolidation of Soviet power in the Petrograd province (1917-1918)", L. 1972; L. A. Etenko. Bolshevik organizations of the Don and North Caucasus in the struggle for Soviet power. Rostov-on-Don. 1972; E. D. Direnok. The Bolsheviks of the Gomel region during the October Revolution and Civil War. Minsk. 1976, et al.

15 I. S. Terekhov. V. I. Lenin and the construction of the Party in the period from February to October (1917). Saratov, 1969; Yu. V. Shilovtsev. Party building in Ukraine (November 1917-July 1918). Kharkiv, 1972; N. R. Andrukhov. Party building after October. 1917-1924 M. 1973, et al.

16 " The October Armed Uprising. The seventeenth year in Petrograd " Book 1-2. L. 1967; M. I. Kapustin. The conspiracy of the Generals (From the history of the Kornilov region and its defeat). Moscow, 1968, et al.

17 A. Y. Grung. Moscow, 1917. Revolution and Counterrevolution, Moscow, 1976; see also "October in Moscow", Moscow, 1967.

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allies on the one hand, and the bourgeoisie on the other. Research of a wide range of sources, research in archives, a thorough analysis of memoirs and the press allowed the author to contribute to the solution of a number of controversial issues, in particular, in determining the time of the beginning of the armed uprising in Moscow.

Soviet historiography has considerable research on the history of the armed defense of the Revolution of 18, and in particular the suppression of the Krasnov-Kerensky rebellion, the defeat of Kaledin, and the struggle with the Central Rada. V. D. Polikarpov raised and studied huge layers of new factual material, revealing, in particular, the counter-revolutionary activities of the Stavka, attempts to organize forces to suppress the socialist revolution. The author recreated a broad picture of the counter-revolutionary conspiracy of the Stavka and Front generals, analyzed the forces that they tried to use against the revolution, and showed the urgency of the moment. The book examines the struggle against the main all-Russian centers of counter-revolution in October 1917, first in Stavka, and then on the Don. For the first time, the activities of the Soviet Government in organizing the armed defense of the socialist revolution are revealed with such completeness. A wide range of sources helped the author to show in depth and detail the work of the centers that led the struggle against the counterrevolutionary Stavka, against the Kaledin mutiny. Yu. K. Kiriyenko, attracting new materials, using existing publications, created an interesting generalizing study on the history of the defeat of counterrevolutionary forces on the Don.

The historiography of October has also been enriched by research on the first months of Soviet power in Petrograd and Moscow .19
Interest in the history of the working class has increased. A number of fundamental works appeared, revealing his role in the struggle for victory and consolidation of Soviet power. Never before has this problem been investigated in such a detailed way. The range of issues has expanded significantly: along with studying the main stages, characteristics and peculiarities of the labor movement during the preparation and implementation of the socialist revolution, scientists have also focused on important issues related to the characteristics of the working class, its political and moral appearance, and its social structure.

In the study of the history of the revolutionary activity of the working class, such areas should be distinguished as the study of the struggle of the Russian proletariat in alliance with the poorest peasantry for the conquest of power, the problems of the hegemony of the proletariat in the socialist revolution, and the leading role of the working-class movement in the revolutionary process. L. S. Gaponenko's multi-faceted research 20 examines important issues of the revolutionary creativity of the working class on the eve and in the October period, and summarizes a great deal of factual material. The author made many new contributions to the solution of such cardinal problems as the size and social composition, the territorial distribution of the Russian working class in 1917, its economic situation, forms of political struggle, and hegemony in the leadership of the masses.

The history of the working-class movement in Russia in 1917 was covered in the monographs of D. M. Zolnikov, P. F. Metelkov, and I. M. Pushkar-

18 V. D. Polikarpov. Prologue of the Russian Civil War. October 1917-February 1918. Moscow, 1976; Yu. K. Kiriyenko. Crash of the Kaledin region, Moscow, 1976, et al.

19 A. L. Freiman. An outpost of the socialist Revolution. Petrograd in the First Months of Soviet Power, L. 1969; G. S. Ignatiev. Moscow in the First year of the Proletarian Dictatorship, Moscow, 1975.

20 L. S. Gaponenko. The Working Class of Russia in 1917, Moscow, 1970. The Decisive Power of the Great October, Moscow, 1977.

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voi, B. M. Freidlina 21 . Changes in the size and composition of the working class in 1917 were reflected in the works of D. A. Baevsky, E. G. Gimpelson, V. Z. Drobizhev, G. A. Trukan, and others. 22 Despite some differences in the definition of the total number of workers on the eve of the revolution, it can be stated that Soviet historiography has established a unified approach to analyzing the size and composition of the Russian proletariat. Fluctuations in the definition of individual figures are only a consequence of the use of various archival materials.

A thorough coverage of the leading role of the working class in the October Revolution is impossible without describing not only its social but also its political appearance. The definition of the political consciousness of the revolutionary class is given in a number of general works on the history of the October Revolution. There have probably not been any studies on the working class that have addressed this issue. However, the general definitions given in them are not sufficient for a comprehensive characterization of the leader class, the hegemon class. Special attention should be paid to the detailed work of G. L. Sobolev 23 . The topic chosen by the author belongs to the category of the most important and at the same time the most complex problems of the history of the October Revolution. It is gratifying to note that he coped with the task at hand, and Soviet historiography now has an interesting work at its disposal, characterized by a thorough and in-depth study of the political consciousness of the workers of Petrograd and the soldiers of the garrison of the capital during the peaceful development of the revolution. The author was able to show what role the Bolshevik Party played in shaping the political consciousness of the workers. V. F. Shishkin's research is also of great interest24, which examines new phenomena in the moral consciousness of the Russian proletariat during the revolution.

An important area in the study of the history of the working class in the revolution is the study of its political activity as the hegemon, as the leading force of the socialist revolution. These studies are all the more interesting because recently some books have questioned the thesis that the working class plays a decisive role in certain stages of the preparation of the socialist revolution. 25 These erroneous propositions were convincingly criticized in monographs and detailed scientific articles, the authors of which, relying on Lenin's doctrine of the socialist revolution, provided new factual material confirming that throughout the entire period from February to October 1917, the proletariat retained the role of hegemon and led the masses, revealing the role of the poorest peasantry as an ally of the proletariat in the socialist revolution. . These works highlight the enormous scope of the worker's activities

21 B. M. Freidlin. Essays on the History of the Working-class movement in Russia in 1917, Moscow, 1967; D. M. Zolnikov. The working-class movement in Siberia in 1917, Novosibirsk. 1969; P. F. Metelkov. Railway workers in the revolution. 1917-June 1918 L. 1970; I. M. Pushkareva. Railwaymen of Russia in the bourgeois-democratic Revolutions, Moscow, 1975.

22 E. G. Gimpelson. Soviet working Class, 1918-1920. Socio-political Changes, Moscow, 1974; V. Z. Drobizhev, A. K. Sokolov, and V. A. Ustinov. The working class of Soviet Russia in the first year of the Proletarian dictatorship (experience of structural analysis based on the materials of the professional census of 1918). Moscow, 1974; G. A. Trukan. The working Class in the struggle for Victory and Consolidation of Soviet Power, Moscow, 1975.

23 G. L. Sobolev. The revolutionary consciousness of the workers and soldiers of Petrograd in 1917 The Period of Dual Power, L. 1973.

24 V. F. Shishkin. Velikiy Oktyabr i proletarskaya moral ' [The Great October and Proletarian Morality], Moscow, 1976.

25 See Voprosy Istorii, 1972, No. 8, pp. 142-143.

26 G. A. Trukan. Edict. op.; "The working Class-the leading force of the October Socialist Revolution", Moscow, 1976; P. N. Sobolev. Consolidation of the Union of Workers and Peasants in the first Year of the Proletarian Dictatorship, Moscow, 1977.

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the struggle of the working class and its party for the peasant masses, for the army, for the Bolshevization of the Soviets, for their transformation into fighting organs of the socialist revolution, for the establishment of Soviet power. An important contribution to the study of these problems was V. M. Selunskaya's monograph, 27 which shows the role of proletarian centers in establishing Soviet power in peasant areas, and the help of workers in implementing the first socialist transformations in rural areas. A significant part of the monograph is devoted to the development of the socialist revolution in the countryside in the summer and autumn of 1918.

The study of the leading role of the working class in carrying out the first socialist transformations in the economy and culture of the country, in organizing the defense of the gains of the October Revolution from internal and external enemies, continued. In particular, the revolutionary and transformative role of the proletariat in the field of economy, industry, transport, agriculture, food production, and in the creation of the armed forces of the revolution was studied. Soviet historiography has accumulated considerable material on the history of the Red Guard. Recent works in this area to a certain extent summarize the existing achievements .28 The subject of this monographic study is the struggle of workers in Ukraine, Belarus, and Central Asia for the victory of October 29 .

A characteristic feature of the latest literature on the history of October is a deeper study of the history of the peasantry, the alliance of the poorest peasantry with the proletariat, the role and place of various social groups in the implementation of the October Revolution, and the problem of the class struggle in the countryside. The two-volume monograph by S. P. Trapeznikov was highly appreciated by the scientific community. Its first volume thoroughly analyzes Lenin's theoretical legacy, reveals the most important provisions of Lenin's teaching on the alliance of the working class with the peasantry, characterizes the main directions of the Bolshevik party's agrarian policy during the preparation and conduct of the October Revolution, and deeply examines the most important stages of the class struggle in the countryside .30
On the history of the peasant movement in 1917, there are consolidated works covering the problem as a whole, but much more works that study the peculiarities of the peasant movement in certain regions of the country. Soviet historians thoroughly analyze the economic and political prerequisites for the formation of an alliance between the working class and the poorest peasantry as the most important condition for the victory of the socialist revolution. Recent years have been marked by the publication of-

27 V. M. Selunskaya. The Working Class and October in the Countryside (The working Class at the head of the October Socialist Revolution in the Countryside. October 1917-1918) M. 1968.

28 G. A. Tsypkin. Krasnaya gvardiya v borbe za vlast Sovetov [Red Guard in the Struggle for Power of the Soviets]. Moscow, 1967; A.M. Konev. The Red Guard in the struggle for Soviet power. Military Historical Journal, 1968, No. 2; V. I. Lenin and the Red Guard (October 1917 - March 1918). Military Historical Journal, 1973, No. 12; R. G. Tsypkina. Rural Red Guard in the October Revolution, Moscow, 1970; V. L. Verkhos. The Red Guard in the October Revolution, Moscow, 1976.

29 " History of the working class of Soviet Turkmenistan (1917-1965)". Ashgabat. 1969; " History of the working Class of Tajikistan (1917-1970)", Vols. I-II. Dushanbe. 1972-1973; "History of the working class of Soviet Uzbekistan". Tashkent, 1974; V. V. Modestov. Workers of Donbass in three Russian Revolutions, Moscow, 1974; A. P. Gritsenko. The working class of Ukraine in the October Revolution (March 1917-January 1918). Kyiv. 1975; V. G. Gnevko. The working class of Belarus in the struggle for the victory of October. Minsk. 1975.

30 S. P. Trapeznikov. Leninism and the Agrarian-Peasant Question, vol. 1. Leninist Agrarian Programs in Three Russian Revolutions, Moscow, 1974.

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He has published a number of scientific works that cover a wider range of problems related to the history of the peasant movement in 1917 than before. From the accumulation of factual material on the quantitative side of peasant actions, researchers move on to more complex tasks - the study of successive forms of struggle, which reflected changes in the ratio of class forces in the countryside, the stratification of the peasantry, and the influence of the Bolsheviks on the strength and scope of peasant actions .31
A number of works are devoted to the party's activities in the countryside. Among them is A. S. Smirnov's monograph 32 . Based on the analysis of a wide range of sources, the author characterizes the work of Bolshevik organizations in the peasant masses of various regions of the country. He summarized and clarified the data on the activities of mass peasant organizations - zemlyachestvos, military peasant soviets, etc., and showed the leading role of the Bolsheviks in these organizations. A. S. Smirnov paid much attention to the study of the nature and significance of peasant congresses (especially in the Volga region, Central regions, and Belarus), and the struggle that unfolded there between the Bolsheviks and the Social Revolutionaries for influence on the peasant masses. The work contains many new data showing the development of the peasant movement and its transformation in some provinces of the country on the eve of October into a peasant uprising. The struggle of the Bolshevik party for the masses of the working peasantry, for the union of the proletariat with the poorest peasantry is studied in the works of V. G. Ivashin, A. S. Konkova, Yu. P. Suslov, V. M. Chuprina and others .33 They analyze the forms and methods of organizational and ideological-political work of the Bolsheviks among the peasants.

Sharp discussions took place on the correlation and alignment of class forces in the countryside on the eve of October and after the victory of the Socialist Revolution, on the nature of the class struggle in the countryside, its social orientation, the degree of stratification of the peasantry, and the allies of the proletariat in the socialist revolution. The discussions were connected with attempts to review the historical literature's assessment of the nature of the alliance between the working class and the working peasantry in the October Revolution, its composition, and its political army, which is based on Lenin's theoretical legacy. It was a question of whether it was an alliance of the proletariat with the poorest peasantry or with the whole peasantry. Proponents of the second point of view tried to dock-

31 A. B. Tursunbaev. Kazakh village in three revolutions. Alma-Ata, 1967; M. N. Shumilov. Oktyabrskaya sotsialisticheskaya revolyutsiya i istoricheskie sudby batrachestva [October Socialist Revolution and historical destinies of farm laborers]. The peasant movement in Moldavia in 1917 and the implementation of Lenin's Decree on Land. Chisinau. 1970; N. A. Kravchuk. Mass peasant movement in Russia on the eve of October (March - October 1917 Based on the materials of the Great Russian provinces of European Russia). Moscow, 1971; P. F. Reshod'ko. Peasant movement in Kharkiv province (March 1917-January 1918). Kharkiv, 1972 (in Ukrainian); L. I. Futoryansky. The Struggle for the Masses of the Working Cossacks in the Period when the Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution developed into a Socialist One (March-October 1917). Orenburg, 1973; E. M. Shchagin. October Revolution in the village of the eastern suburbs of Russia, Moscow, 1974; L. P. Lipinsky. The peasant movement in Belarus in 1914-1917. Minsk. 1975; A. A. Chernobaev. Development of the Socialist Revolution in the countryside. October 1917-1918, Moscow, 1975; A. Ya. Pereverzev. The Socialist Revolution in the village of the Chernozem center of Russia (October 1917-1918). Voronezh. 1976.

32 A. S. Smirnov. Bolsheviks and Peasants in the October Revolution, Moscow, 1976.

33 V. G. Ivashin. Bolsheviks of Belarus and the Western Front in the struggle for the implementation of Lenin's Decree on Land. Minsk. 1972; Yu. P. Suslov. Lenin's agrarian program and the struggle of the Bolsheviks of the Volga region for its implementation. March 1917-March 1918, Saratov. 1972; A. S. Konkova. The struggle of the Communist Party for the Union of the Working Class with the poorest peasantry in 1917-1918, Moscow, 1974; V. M. Chuprina. Bolsheviks of Ukraine in the struggle for the working peasantry (March 1917-February 1918). Lviv. 1974, et al.

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It should be noted that the stratification of the peasantry did not occur until the summer of 1918, when the union of the proletariat with the poorest peasantry took shape. 34
In order to overcome these errors, it was important to carry out a further in-depth study of Lenin's theoretical heritage, as well as a concrete historical development of the issue. In this regard, T. V. Osipova's monograph "The Class Struggle in the Countryside during the Preparation and Conduct of the Great October Socialist Revolution" (Moscow, 1974) is of great importance. The author analyzes extensive factual material that makes it possible to give a thorough assessment of the nature of peasant demonstrations in the summer of 1917, to trace the process of growing peasant movement, to reveal the connection between proletarian demonstrations and tides of peasant unrest, and to show the severity and scope of the second social war in the countryside. For the first time in historical literature, the activities of bourgeois political organizations in the countryside, the means and methods of their struggle against the revolution are thoroughly analyzed, and the degree of political unification of the rural bourgeoisie is assessed.

The study of the social nature and practical activities of grassroots peasant organizations is of great importance in solving the above-mentioned controversial issues. For this purpose, a considerable amount of new material was used, which made it possible to draw important conclusions about the nature and peculiarities of the peasant movement in March - October 1917. Of great interest in this regard are the works of G. A. Gerasimenko, N. A. Kravchuk, V. I. Kostrikin, and I. I. Mints35 . The attraction of new material and a more in-depth study of the problem made it possible to clarify the social composition of peasant organizations and the nature of their activities. Studies have shown that all these issues need to be considered in dynamics, in development. It is impossible to answer them without taking into account the evolution of peasant organizations and their continuously changing composition. The above-mentioned monograph by P. N. Sobolev makes an important contribution to the study of the class struggle in the countryside. It examines the objective prerequisites for the alliance of the proletariat with the masses of the working peasantry, the implementation of the party's strategic slogans on the peasant question, the struggle of the working class for the peasantry after the victory of the socialist revolution, and its development and deepening in the countryside in the spring and summer of 1918.

Considerable efforts were made to study the revolutionary movement in the Russian army in 1917. Soviet historiography was supplemented by a number of deep, generalizing studies that examined the revolutionary movement on all fronts and analyzed the party's activities among the masses of soldiers .36 Recent research raises new questions, including the history of the creation of revolutionary soldiers ' organizations. A prominent place in its development is occupied by V. I. Miller's monograph 37 . On the basis of a thorough analysis of numerous sources, the author examines the process of the formation of soldiers ' committees of the Russian army in 1917, considers

34 See Voprosy Istorii, 1972, No. 8, p. 143.

35 I. I. Mints. Istoriya Velikogo Oktyabrya [History of the Great October], Vol. 2, Moscow, 1971; G. A. Gerasimenko. Grassroots peasant organizations in 1917-the first half of 1918. Saratov. 1974; N. A. Kravchuk. Edict. op.; V. I. Kostrikin. Land Committees in 1917, Moscow, 1975. For a historiographical analysis of the literature on this topic, see G. A. Gerasimenko. Grassroots peasant organizations of 1917-the first half of 1918 in Soviet historical literature. "Historiographical collection". Issue 1 (4). Saratov. 1973.

36 P. A. Golub. Party, Army and Revolution. The Bolshevik Party's Reconquest of the Army on the side of the Revolution (March 1917-February 1918), Moscow, 1967; "The Bolshevik Struggle for the Army in Three Revolutions", Moscow, 1969.

37 V. I. Miller. Soldiers ' Committees of the Russian Army in 1917 (Origin and initial period of activity). Moscow, 1974.

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the main directions of the initial period of their activity, gives a detailed description of their social composition. Important questions of the history of soldiers ' committees are also discussed in a number of articles 38 .

The study of the history of the revolutionary movement in the front-line units of the Russian Army continued .39 At the same time, revolutionary events were also investigated on those fronts that were remote from the center and where the influence of petty-bourgeois parties, primarily the Social Revolutionaries, was strong. The authors of these works made an attempt to analyze the forms and methods of activity of Bolshevik organizations at the front, the struggle against representatives of the Social Revolutionaries and Mensheviks in soldiers ' committees. Special mention should be made of the study of the international activities of Bolshevik organizations in parts of the Caucasian Front. A large generalizing monograph on the history of the revolutionary movement in the armed forces was written by S. S. Khesin 40 . For the first time in historical literature, it provides a consolidated picture of the participation of sailors of all fleets and flotillas of the country in the revolution.

Along with the revolutionary movement of the soldiers 'masses at the front, researchers' attention was also drawn to other parts of the Russian armed forces in 1917. A successful attempt is made to investigate the activities of front-line units - the link between the front and the rear 41. A. M. Andreev, in his detailed monograph "The soldier masses of the garrisons of the Russian Army in the October Revolution" (Moscow, 1975), covers poorly studied issues of the history of the democratic and revolutionary movement in those units of the Russian army that were not at the front. The first generalizing work analyzing the activities of the Moscow Bolsheviks among the soldiers of the garrison in the period from February to October 42 was created .

Considering the works on the history of the revolutionary movement of the soldiers ' masses at the front, in frontline and rear garrisons, it is necessary to note great progress in the study of these problems. A significant step forward has been made in covering the activities of soldiers ' organizations, the forms and methods of work of the Bolsheviks in the army and navy, and in studying the correlation and alignment of class forces both in the armed forces as a whole and on individual fronts and fleets during the preparation and conduct of the October Revolution.

Modern historiography of the Great October is characterized by a broad study of the political forces that opposed the Bolsheviks in the revolution. Lenin wrote in July 1917: "In order to understand the development of the Russian revolution, it is most necessary... to study what the main parties were, the interests of which classes they defended, and the mutual relations of all these parties." 43 The problem of the petty-bourgeoisie

38 A. A. Kazakevich. From the history of soldiers ' Committees in the period of dual power in 1917 "Scientific notes" of the Lipetsk Pedagogical Institute, issue V, series "Social Sciences". Voronezh. 1967; L. M. Gavrilov. On the question of the Bolshevization of the soldiers ' Committees of the active Army during the preparation and victory of October. Voprosy istorii CPSU, 1969, No. 2, et al.

39 A. P. Steklov. Revolutionary activity of Bolshevik organizations on the Caucasian front. Tbilisi. 1969; A. O. Harutyunyan. The Caucasian Front 1914-1917. Yerevan. 1971; for more information, see T. S. Melikyan. Historiography of the revolutionary movement on the Caucasian Front. Yerevan. 1972; E. N. Istrati. Democratic Peace Movement on the Romanian Front. Chisinau. 1973.

40 S. S. Khesin. Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya i flot [October Revolution and Fleet], Moscow, 1971.

41 N. M. Yakupov. Bolsheviks at the head of the revolutionary soldiers ' masses. 1917-January 1918. Kiev, 1967; his own. The Bolshevik Party in the struggle for the Army in the period of dual power. Kyiv. 1972; same name. The Struggle for the Army in 1917 (Activity of the Bolsheviks in the front-line districts), Moscow, 1975.

42 I. N. Vasin. Army and Revolution (The Struggle of the Moscow Bolsheviks for the masses of soldiers in Three revolutions), Moscow, 1973.

43 V. I. Lenin. PSS. Vol. 34, p. 58.

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The role of the bourgeois parties in the revolution is not new in Soviet historiography, but over the past decade a significant step has been taken in its study. Special attention was paid to the petty-bourgeois parties. At the same time, questions of the tactics of the Bolsheviks in relation to the petty-bourgeois parties were mainly considered, and their role in the revolution was revealed. Since the mid-60s, a significant expansion of research issues has been planned, and a new approach to studying the problem as a whole is being developed. The most important questions of the history of political parties are reflected in generalizing works and monographs on the history of the class struggle in Russia .44
A number of works reveal Lenin's concept of the history of petty-bourgeois parties in the revolution. The study of Lenin's writings helped researchers to show the history of the evolution and bankruptcy of the theory of petty-bourgeois socialism, the politics and tactics of petty-bourgeois reformism and revolutionism in Russia using the example of petty-bourgeois parties. Based on Lenin's methodology, developing Lenin's concept of the history of the political bankruptcy of petty-bourgeois parties, Soviet researchers revealed the historical regularity of the political, ideological and organizational collapse of these parties, the basic principles of the tactics of the proletarian party in relation to the petty bourgeoisie and its parties.

The main questions of the history of the Socialist-Revolutionary party as a whole, the tactics of the Bolsheviks in relation to them, the bloc of the Bolsheviks and left Social Revolutionaries - the first experience of a government agreement with a petty - bourgeois party under the dictatorship of the proletariat-are reflected in a number of special studies .45 Among the most significant works of recent years, one should highlight L. M. Spirin's study of the history of the revolt of the Left SRS in the summer of 1918 and T. A. Sivokhina's detailed work on the activities of representatives of petty-bourgeois parties in the Central Executive Committee after the left SRS left the Soviet government. A notable contribution to the study of the history of the class struggle in the period of the October Revolution and the Civil War was the new monograph by K. V. Gusev 46 .

A number of special studies have appeared on the history of the activities of other petty-bourgeois parties. Among them is N. V. Ruban's book 47, which analyzes the internal processes that took place in the Menshevik party on the eve of the October Revolution, the theoretical views of the Mensheviks, and their activities as a political organization. The author came to the conclusion that after the victory of October, the Mensheviks broke away from the strata of the workers on which they relied, and in essence were no longer a party, split into parts, and disappeared in numbers. The history of the Menshevik party in the post-October years requires further research, since its leaders did not stop political activity, speaking on behalf of the Menshevik party, actively fought against the Soviet government and played a significant role in inciting the civil war. Shestak's research on "revolutionary communists" and "narodniks - communists"is interesting,

44 "History of the USSR from ancient times to the present day", Vol. VII: "History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union", Vol. 3, book 1; I. I. Mints. History of the Great October. Vols. 1-3; "V. I. Lenin and the history of classes and political parties in Russia"; S. P. Trapeznikov. Edict op.

45 K. V. Gusev, Kh. A. Yeritsyan. From compromise to Counterrevolution, Moscow, 1968; P. I. Soboleva. The October Revolution and the Collapse of the Social Compromisers, Moscow, 1968; "The Bolsheviks in the Struggle against the Petty-Bourgeois Parties in Russia," Moscow, 1969, et al.

46 L. M. Spirin. Crash of one adventure, Moscow, 1971; T. A. Sivokhina. The Collapse of the petty-bourgeois opposition, Moscow, 1973; K. V. Gusev. The Socialist-Revolutionary Party: from petty-bourgeois revolutionism to Counter-revolution. Historical Essay, Moscow, 1975.

47 N. V. Ruban. The October Revolution and the Collapse of Menshevism (March 1917-1918). Moscow, 1968.

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as well as S. N. Kanev's monograph on anarchists, 48 one of the first studies that extensively reveals the history of Russian anarchism, its ideological and organizational bankruptcy after the October Revolution. S. N. Kanev gave a deep analysis of the program and tactical views of anarchist groups, and argumentatively showed their theoretical failure. However, the author clearly failed to analyze the social base of anarchism. Articles have been published on such political associations as the Social Democrats-Internationalists, Social Revolutionaries-maximalists, and others .49
Studying the entire spectrum of activities of petty-bourgeois parties makes it possible to recreate a complete picture of their collapse. In the literature of the last decade, important steps have been taken in studying the social base of petty-bourgeois parties. These studies allow us to answer the question of what social forces these parties represented and whose interests they defended, which is important for studying the Communist Party's policy towards the petty-bourgeois masses of the population.

There are long discussions about the social base of the left Social Revolutionaries .50 Three points of view are expressed on this issue. Some believe that the left Social Revolutionaries were a peasant party until the spring of 1918, and then turned into a kulak party. Others believe that the social base of a political party cannot change, and based on this premise, they put forward two different points of view: that the Party of the Left Social Revolutionaries was Kulak from the moment of its formation to the end, and that it was the party of the middle peasantry. The study of these questions is of great importance for understanding the essence of the Bolshevik bloc with the left SRS, for clarifying the question of which social forces this bloc was formed with, and for deepening the characterization of the alliance of the working class with the peasantry in the revolution.

Recent studies have examined the social composition and size of petty-bourgeois parties and their organizations, which, in turn, will allow us to draw conclusions about the forms of organization of the petty-bourgeoisie, the degree of influence of its parties in various regions of the country, the internal structure of petty-bourgeois parties, and the social composition of their active part. Interesting calculations have been made of the number of Menshevik, Socialist-Revolutionary, and anarchist parties in the summer and autumn of 1917 and in the beginning of 1918. Using a wide range of sources, Kh. M. Astrakhan, K. V. Gusev, and L. M. Spirin established the approximate number of organizations of petty-bourgeois parties and the number of their members.

Much attention is paid to elucidating the social composition of the petty-bourgeois parties. Researchers have done considerable work in this direction. N. V. Ruban, in particular, analyzed the questionnaires of delegates to Menshevik congresses and conferences, which makes it possible to draw conclusions about the social composition of the most active part of this party. Kh.M. Astrakhan studied statistical materials describing the composition of individual local Menshevik organizations.

48 Yu. I. Shestak. Bolsheviks and left currents of petty-bourgeois democracy, Moscow, 1974; S. N. Kanev. The October Revolution and the Collapse of Anarchism (The struggle of the Bolshevik Party against anarchism. 1917-1922). Moscow, 1974. On the Bolshevik struggle against anarchism, see also M. Khudaikulov. The Bolsheviks in the struggle against anarchism in the first years of Soviet power. Tashkent, 1974, and others.

49 A.M. Sovokin. About the Party of Social Democrats-Internationalists. "Questions of the history of the CPSU", 1967, N 1; Yu. I. Shestak. Bankruptcy of the Socialist-Revolutionaries-maximalists. Voprosy Istorii, 1977, No. 1.

50 V. M. Selunskaya. Edict. op.; L. M. Spirin. Classes and Parties in the Civil War in Russia (1917-1920). Moscow, 1968; P. I. Soboleva. Edict by K. V. Gusev and Kh.A. Yeritsyan. Edict. op.; A. L. Litvin. The peasantry of the Middle Volga region during the Civil War. Kazan. 1972; P. N. Sobolev. Edict op.

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Questions of the social composition of the Socialist Revolutionary Party are studied by K. V. Gusev and L. M. Spirin, who also rely on the materials of local SR organizations and documents of the central organs of this party.

A number of works examine the policies and tactics of petty-bourgeois parties and their changes at various stages of the revolution. The authors reveal the internal struggle in non-proletarian parties, show the retreat of the masses from the leadership, the deepening of disagreements between the upper and lower classes, that is, they reveal all the main phenomena that inevitably led to the collapse of the petty-bourgeois parties. Studying the tactics of the Bolsheviks in relation to non-Proletarian parties allows us to better understand the course of the revolution.

The study of the history of the bourgeoisie and the attitude of its parties, especially the Cadets, to the revolution is of great scientific and political importance. However, until recently, there was virtually no research on this issue in the Soviet literature. L. M. Spirin's detailed monograph fills this gap 51 . N. G. Dumova, N. Ya. Ivanov, I. I. Mints, and others have done a great deal of research in the history of the Cadet Party. 52 Their works, based on the materials first introduced into scientific use, more fully consider the role of the cadet party in the preparation of the Kornilov plot and in the political preparation of the counter-revolutionary coup. A valuable contribution to the study of the problems was made by Kh. M. Astrakhan53, who gave a detailed picture of the history of the Cadet Party from the moment of the February Revolution to October. An analysis of the materials of the Seventh and Eighth Congresses of the Cadet Party allowed the author to examine in detail both the domestic and foreign policies of the leading party of the Russian bourgeoisie. Of great importance is the analysis of the failure of the plan to "democratize" the cadet party and its attempts to become a "supra-class" party of "people's freedom". Soviet historians began to study the situation within the cadet party itself in more detail. I. I. Mints gave data on the number of provincial and other cadet organizations. L. M. Spirin made an important attempt to calculate the total number of this party in 1917. Kh. M. Astrakhan based on data on the number of members in cadet organizations in 60 cities of the country determined the approximate number of the party on the eve of October. N. G. Dumova's work deals with the internal situation in the Cadet Party in 1917.

We must not forget about the monarchist camp in Russia during the October Revolution and the Civil War. There is still very little specific work on this issue. The recently published monograph by G. Z. Joffe 54 fills this gap. The author has convincingly shown that the experience of Great October is of great importance for supporters of true democracy and socialism all over the world. No matter what "beautiful" slogans the counter-revolution may cover up, its victory ultimately leads to the elimination of not only the socialist, but also the general democratic gains of the people.

There is a tendency in Soviet historiography to comprehensively study the history of classes and political parties during the October Revolution, which is very important. This tendency is reflected in a number of generalizing works. Attempts were made to consider

51 L. M. Spirin. The collapse of the landlord and bourgeois parties in Russia (early XX century-1920). Moscow, 1977.

52 N. Y. Ivanov. Kornilov region and its Defeat, L. 1965; I. I. Mints. Edict. op.; N. G. Dumova. From the History of the Cadet Party in 1917, Istoricheskie Zapiski, 1972, No. 90, et al.

53 Kh. M. Astrakhan. The Bolsheviks and their political opponents in 1917. L. 1973.

54 G. Z. Ioffe. The Collapse of the Russian Monarchical Counterrevolution, Moscow, 1977.

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the correlation of all parties in Russia, both during the October Revolution and during the Civil War; to implement Lenin's above-mentioned instruction on the need to study the interrelationships of political parties in the revolution. The first successful attempt in this area was made by L. M. Spirin55 . His monograph only partially covers the period of the revolution and is mainly devoted to the civil war, but it gives an impetus to research work in this regard and in relation to the history of the October Revolution. The collective monograph "V. I. Lenin and the History of Classes and Political Parties in Russia" analyzes Lenin's works and the works of Soviet researchers on the history of classes and political parties in Russia during the preparation and implementation of the socialist revolution. The above-mentioned monograph by H. M. Astrakhan is also a successful step forward in studying the actual problems of the history of classes and parties in the October Revolution.

A great deal of research on the central problems of the history of classes in Russia during the October period, the social structure of the working class, peasantry, and bourgeoisie in the first years after the victory of the revolution is being carried out by scientists of Moscow University .56
Among the vast literature on the October Revolution, the problem of the history of the Soviets occupies one of the leading places. New serious research has to some extent filled in the gaps that existed in our historiography on this issue. First of all, we should mention the works that deal with the transformation of the Soviets into organs of armed insurrection, the process of Bolshevization of the Soviets in September-October 1917. Important steps have been taken in further comprehensive study of the history of the Soviets during the preparation and victory of the socialist Revolution.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of October, a team of scientists from the Institute of History of the USSR Academy of Sciences made a successful attempt to create a series of generalizing works on the history of the Soviets in 1917-1920. The first in this series was published by A. M. Andreev's monograph "Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers ' Deputies on the eve of October. March-October 1917" (Moscow, 1967). The author made extensive use not only of archival documents, but also of numerous publications of documents and materials published locally. A distinctive feature of this work is the consideration of all the main stages of the activity of the Soviets, both in peacetime and in non-peacetime periods. The undoubted advantage of the work is the study of the activity of the Soviets from the July events to the liquidation of the Kornilov revolt, that is, during the period that some historians characterize as a period of low political activity of the Soviets. On the basis of a large amount of concrete historical material, A. M. Andreev showed the process of Bolshevization of the Soviets, which was steadily and consistently developing at that time. The second major work of the same series was the collective monograph Soviets in the First Year of the Proletarian Dictatorship (Moscow, 1976).

It is quite natural that the attention of researchers is particularly attracted by the activities of the Petrograd Soviet. The significance of this Council and the history of its activities are very important for studying the revolutionary process in Russia as a whole. Serious works have been created that characterize the process of the emergence of the Petrograd Soviet 57 . The book by Yu. S. Tokarev thoroughly analyzes the documents of the Petrograd Soviet.-

55 L. M. Spirin. Classes and Parties in the Russian Civil War (1917-1920).

56 " Changes in the social structure of Soviet society. October. 1917-1920". Moscow, 1976.

57 G. I. Zlokazov. Petrograd Soviet of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies in the Period of Peaceful Development of the Revolution (February-June 1917). Moscow, 1969; Yu. S. Tokarev. Petrograd Soviet of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies in March-April 1917 L. 1976 and others.

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that. Historians were able to use many of them only thanks to the huge work carried out by the author of the monograph. If Tokarev's research is limited to March - April 1917, then G. I. Zlokazov considers the entire period of peaceful development of the revolution.

Expanding the scope of research, Soviet historians have made notable progress in studying the activities of the Soviets in large areas of the country. Noteworthy is the collective work of Ukrainian historians58, which reveals the activities of the Soviets of important industrial centers, and first of all in the Donbass, where even before October they became the masters of the situation. Clarification of the role of the main directions and nature of the activity of these Soviets is of great interest for understanding the whole process of development of the Soviets in the period of preparation for the socialist revolution.

Monographs on the history of peasant Soviets are of great importance. O. N. Moiseeva's work Soviets of Peasant Deputies in 1917 (Moscow, 1967) examines the struggle of parties for peasant organizations, the composition of peasant Soviets, and the participation of peasant Soviets and committees in the struggle against land ownership by landlords. The author particularly focuses on the activities of land committees, their composition, and the work of peasant organizations after February. O. N. Moiseeva came to the conclusion that under the influence of the growth of the agrarian movement, the general political situation, and due to proletarian influence, the Soviets of Peasant Deputies and grassroots peasant committees increasingly interfered in agrarian relations during the spring and summer of 1917 At the same time, the activities of the lower peasant committees and Soviets, which were petty-bourgeois in their composition, reflected the vacillation of the peasant masses between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.

Much attention was paid to the activity of the Soviets as organs of armed insurrection, and to their formation as organs of power after the victory of October 59 . Works on the history of the two largest metropolitan councils can serve as a basis for broader generalizations.

Problems related to the history of the formation of the Soviet state after the victory of the proletarian revolution also remained in the field of view of Soviet scientists. There are extensive studies that reveal the process of state-building throughout the country. Along with lawyers and philosophers, historians have joined the study of these issues, and they have presented a number of interesting papers .60 S. S. Khesin's monograph, for example, summarizes significant material and draws on new sources that characterize the peculiarities of the process of formation of Soviet statehood in the center and in the regions, especially in large regions. The scope of research on the history of Soviets in individual regions of the country and national districts is expanding more and more .61 Unfortunately, there are still many gaps in the study of local Councils ' activities: there are no generalizing works on such regions as the Urals; regional associations of Councils are poorly studied.

The development of the history of Great October in the most important regions of the country, its national regions is a characteristic feature of the modern world.-

58 Yu. M. Gamretsky, Zh. L. Timchenko, O. P. Shchus. Ради України в 1917 р. (липень - грудень 1917 р.). Київ. 1974.

59 M. N. Potekhin. The First Soviet of the Proletarian Dictatorship. Essays on the history of the Petrograd Soviet in 1917-1918 L. 1966; N. M. Aleshchenko. The Moscow Soviet in 1917-1941, Moscow, 1976, et al.

60 "The Soviet State-the first year"; S. S. Khesin. Formation of the proletarian dictatorship in Russia. Questions of the establishment of Soviet power and the formation of the Proletarian state system (November 1917-March 1918). Moscow, 1975, et al.

61 Yu. M. Gamretsky, Zh. L. Timchenko, O. I. Shchus. Edict. op.; K. Nurpeisov. Soviets of Kazakhstan in the struggle to consolidate the power of workers and peasants. Alma-Ata, 1968, et al.

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modern Soviet historiography. In the late 60s, a great deal of work was carried out to create collective monographs devoted to the establishment of Soviet power in national republics and in local areas. Such monographs were published in Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, and the Volga region. A series of these works was carried out under the supervision of the Scientific Council on the complex problem "History of the Great October Socialist Revolution". These studies allow us to reveal the general patterns of the implementation of the socialist revolution in Russia, to identify local specific conditions of individual regions of the country, its national suburbs. The October Revolution is a single dialectically interrelated process. The victory of the workers, soldiers and sailors in the capital facilitated and accelerated the triumph of the socialist revolution throughout the country, and the success of the revolution on the ground, in turn, strengthened the position of the Soviet government in the center.

The analysis of the struggle for power cannot be based solely on local conditions and forces - it is necessary to take into account, first of all, the decisive factor of the victory of the revolution in the center and its determining influence on the course and outcome of the struggle in other regions of the country. This trend is becoming increasingly entrenched in Soviet literature, as evidenced by the works that reveal the process of struggle for the establishment of Soviet power in Moscow, Petrograd ,the north of the country, the North Caucasus, the Far East, Eastern Siberia, Moldavia, the Donbass and other regions. 62
All the works on the history of the Great October Revolution in the national regions convincingly reveal the conclusion that the struggle for the victory of Soviet power here was an integral part of the unified revolutionary process in Russia as a whole. The researchers note the decisive significance of the union of the Russian working class with the national peasantry for the victory of the socialist revolution, and characterize the objective foundations of this union.

The historiography of Great October in the Baltic States has been enriched with deep research .63 The study of the history of the socialist revolution in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia has made significant progress .64 Attention has increased to such aspects as the class cohesion of workers of different nationalities, the activities of the Bolsheviks to expose the maneuvers of the bourgeois-nationalist counter-revolution, the leadership of the Russian proletariat in the revolutionary process in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia, and the merging of the national liberation movement with the struggle of the working class for the socialist revolution.

New works on the victory of the Socialist Revolution in Central Asia

62 See, for example, N. G. Goncharenko. In the battles for October (March 1917-March 1918). Donetsk. 1974; M. I. Shumilov. The October Revolution in northern Russia. Petrozavodsk. 1975; A. S. Esaulenko. The Socialist Revolution in Moldova and the political collapse of bourgeois nationalism. 1917-1918. Chisinau. 1977, et al.

63 "The Victory of Soviet power in the Baltic States", Moscow, 1967; " History of the Latvian Riflemen (1915-1920)". Riga. 1972; B. A. Toman. For a free Russia, for a free Latvia. Latvian Riflemen and Red Guards in the first year of Soviet Power, Moscow, 1975; "History of the Estonian SSR", vol. 2. Tallinn. 1976; A. A. Drizul. Great October in Latvia. Eve, history, meaning. Riga. 1977, et al.

64 K. T. Laikanov. Edict. op.; " Internationalists. Working people of foreign countries-participants in the struggle for Soviet power in the south and east of the republic", Moscow, 1971; "Victory of Soviet Power in Transcaucasia". Tbilisi. 1971; A. N. Surguladze. Transcaucasia in the struggle for the victory of the socialist Revolution. Tbilisi. 1971; A. S. Sumbatzade. Socio-economic prerequisites for the victory of Soviet power in Azerbaijan, Moscow, 1972; B. O. Kashkaev. From February to October (National Liberation Movement in Dagestan). Moscow, 1972; A. I. Kozlov. The struggle of the Black Sea workers for Soviet power (1917-1920). Rostov-on-Don. 1972; A. P. Lezhava. Georgian revolutionaries in the struggle for the victory of Soviet power in the North Caucasus Tbilisi. 1972.

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In Asia and Kazakhstan, 65 indicate that the range of studies on this issue is expanding. The issue of the participation of indigenous workers in the establishment of Soviet power in Khorezm, the upper reaches of Zeravshan and other regions is being intensively studied. These studies clearly reflect the process of active involvement of the working masses of the peoples of Central Asia and Kazakhstan in the struggle for the victory of the socialist revolution, the difficulties that had to be overcome on this path. The gradual liberation of the working people from the influence of compromise parties and bourgeois-nationalist organizations, and the strengthening of the Bolshevik position are consistently highlighted.

In recent years, historians of Siberia and the Far East have developed a frontal monographic study of the October events in their region .66 A significant place in their research is occupied by the peculiarity of the socio-economic situation in the countryside (a large proportion of kulaks, immigrants and Cossacks, archaic foundations in national regions). All this complicated the struggle of the Bolsheviks for the separation of social forces, for the creation of a political army of the socialist revolution. Overcoming the influence of the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries on the masses, localizing and defeating the large counter-revolutionary forces that had fled from the center, presented considerable difficulties, but even under these conditions the Communist Party was able to mobilize the masses for the implementation of the socialist revolution.

One of the most important problems in the history of the Great October Socialist Revolution is the study of its international significance. Lenin pointed out two aspects of the international significance of the Great October Revolution: first, in the sense of its influence on the development of the revolutionary movement and the entire course of world events, and second, in the sense of the inevitability of repeating its laws in any socialist revolution .67 It is in these two directions that the research of Soviet historians is being developed, and they have done much to reveal the world-historical significance of the October Revolution and to characterize it as the greatest triumph of Marxism - Leninism. It is traditional to combine the efforts of historians of the Soviet Union and Marxist historians of foreign countries in developing this topic.

Soviet historians have made significant progress in studying the problems of the Great October Revolution. His historiography has been enriched by a number of fundamental studies of a generalizing nature, the source base has significantly expanded, and many new documents have been introduced into scientific circulation. A distinctive feature of the current stage of Russian historiography of the October Revolution is a deep analysis of Lenin's ideological heritage, thoroughness of research, and a wide range of problems that are in the field of view of Soviet historians.

65 G. Nepesov, M. Abdullaev, U. Takhtakhanov, R. Yakubov. Great October and the victory of the People's Revolution in Khorezm. Tashkent, 1971; R. A. Abdullayev. Consolidation of Soviet power in the upper reaches of the Zeravshan River (1918-1923). Dushanbe. 1972; Kh. D. Irmuratov. October in the village (Participation of Kazakhs in the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of the Astrakhan region and the Bukeevsky Horde). Alma-Ata, 1972; A. Kokanbaev. Great October in Turkestan (The struggle for the establishment and consolidation of Soviet power in Turkestan). Tashkent, 1972; G. Pulatov, G. Rashidov. Tashkent in the first years of Soviet power. November 1917-1920 Tashkent, 1972, and others.

66 N. A. Shindyalov. For the power of the Soviets, 1917-1922. Blagoveshchensk. 1971; same name. October on the Amur River. Establishment of Soviet power in the Amur region. March 1917-April 1918 Blagoveshchensk. 1973; V. A. Danilov. Internationalists in the Urals and Siberia. Sverdlovsk. 1972; A. I. Krushanov. The October Revolution in the Far East. Vladivostok. 1972; V. S. Poznansky. Essays on the history of the armed struggle of the Soviets of Siberia against the Counter-revolution in 1917-1918. Novosibirsk. 1973; E. M. Shchagin. Edict. op.; M. P. Stalnykh. Victory of the Great October in Kamchatka. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. 1975; B. I. Mukhachev. The formation of Soviet power and the struggle against foreign expansion in the North-east of the USSR. 1917-1920 Novosibirsk. 1975.

67 See V. I. Lenin's PSS. Vol. 41, p. 3.

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