were really tired of being serfs.
Not only that, but Russia was doing badly in the war, and the Germans sent Lenin back to Russia in a sealed train car from Switzerland because they knew he and his Bolsheviks opposed the war.
So, yes, Lenin ended up running what became the USSR after taking over the revolution from the majority Menshaviks (note that the term Bolshevik implies majority, but they were the radical faction of the reform party. They were all part of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. They wanted to work with other liberal groups to form a provisional government much like the Wiemar Republic in Germany during the 20s.
When Lenin arrived, like Hitler later did, he used elections to take power for his minority Bolsheviks.
Then they all fought the bloody civil war against the Whites (Czarists), who collapsed in 1923. Thirteen allied countries intervened on behalf of the Whites because they wanted Russia to reopen the eastern front against Germany. The US actually sent Marines to Archangelsk, did you know?
At that time, and still, Russia is very patriarchal. The women led the way, but little men in their soldier uniforms killed millions in their quest for more power. So ultimately, every Russian who yearned for a more democratic government and the end of serfdom (which is basically agricultural and industrial slavery) ended up under yet another authoritarian patriarchal government.
But that wasn't the women's fault - they had no way of knowing that would happen any more than our people had any way of knowing Martin, Malcolm and Bobby would be killed.
Remember, ANY TIME a popular movement EVER starts that has the desire to impose a fairer government and seeks economic and social justice, the oligarchs (I fondly call them billionaire parasites and Wall Street greed-lizards) ALWAYS...
let me repeat...
ALWAYS
do everything in their power to sabotage that movement, supplant its leadership, and coopt it so that the so-called 'reforms' instituted actually funnel MORE money and power to them, not less.
They write the laws, though, and they interpret the history.
The Iranian patriarchy will try and impose itself on the Iranian women as well. If the Ayatollahs fall, any reform government may prove weak and another Ayatollah or Shah will arise. Because Persia is still a patriarchal culture.
As to us, we have this one chance this November to save this republic through our votes, but even if we do any reforms toward actual economic and social justice will still be opposed tooth and nail every step of the way. The capitalist cancer is very firmly metastasized into our social and economic fabric. We see this even on here when people like me mention cutting war spending, nixing the new moonshot, raising taxes and providing Medicare for all Americans.
Oh, they say, we don't want any socialist medicine! The government can't do it properly...
All that stems from years and years - decades - of corporate propaganda over Fox 'news,' right-wing talk radio, and social media. The government is, the snake Reagan said famously, not the solution, but the problem. DECADES of that message being pounded into us while oligarchs drain our treasury.
The bottom line is we are witnessing here in the US a forceful move back toward patriarchy because of the fear of old white men - fear of people of color, LGBTQ people, and women. THAT is what we are fighting.
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