DBWI: Authoritarian Russia

Following the abolition of the monarchy in 1917, Russia has had a strong, liberal democratic tradition with no authoritarian intervening period. However, could it had been subverted? And if so, would Russia be a far-left or far-right dictatorship?
 
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This was surprisingly pretty close to be averted.

The Febuary Revolution could've been a precursor to another one if RUssia did not pull out of the war when they did. If they did remain in the war, the malcontent feelings would've let Lenin and his Bolsheviks rise up, since he was open about ending the war. Lenin had good ideas, but his execution would've been utterly haphazard to say the least, plus, given what we now know of Joesph Stalin, wouldn't be difficult to see Stalin usurping Lenin after his death.

Russia leaving the war when it did meant the Entente lost steam and allowed the Central Powers to essentially fight them to a draw. If Russia remained in war, who knows what would've happened, but I heard rumors and such of the USA eventually planning to join. Russia's sudden withdrawal seem to signal the near end of the war.

The war ended with no one really gaining anything... well, Germany did get Austria, but that was because the A/H collasped, but had to give Silesia to Poland after a few years. Poland then formed a union with the new Czechoslovakia while Hungary basically became Russia's satellite after a while. The Ottoman Empire would reform itself once it discovered all that oil and basically became a Great Power again. Hence why they allied with the Jabal Shimmar and chased the Sauds out.

The USA would udnergo our American Depression which we wouldn't get out until FDR and then there was the Pacific War when Japan attacked China and then we got involved. Russia was something of an aloof ally, though they did give Sakhalin up for the Ainu Republic, which was nice.

Russia becoming an autocratic state would undo all of that and who knows what would've happened?
 

samcster94

Banned
This was surprisingly pretty close to be averted.

The Febuary Revolution could've been a precursor to another one if RUssia did not pull out of the war when they did. If they did remain in the war, the malcontent feelings would've let Lenin and his Bolsheviks rise up, since he was open about ending the war. Lenin had good ideas, but his execution would've been utterly haphazard to say the least, plus, given what we now know of Joesph Stalin, wouldn't be difficult to see Stalin usurping Lenin after his death.

Russia leaving the war when it did meant the Entente lost steam and allowed the Central Powers to essentially fight them to a draw. If Russia remained in war, who knows what would've happened, but I heard rumors and such of the USA eventually planning to join. Russia's sudden withdrawal seem to signal the near end of the war.

The war ended with no one really gaining anything... well, Germany did get Austria, but that was because the A/H collasped, but had to give Silesia to Poland after a few years. Poland then formed a union with the new Czechoslovakia while Hungary basically became Russia's satellite after a while. The Ottoman Empire would reform itself once it discovered all that oil and basically became a Great Power again. Hence why they allied with the Jabal Shimmar and chased the Sauds out.

The USA would udnergo our American Depression which we wouldn't get out until FDR and then there was the Pacific War when Japan attacked China and then we got involved. Russia was something of an aloof ally, though they did give Sakhalin up for the Ainu Republic, which was nice.

Russia becoming an autocratic state would undo all of that and who knows what would've happened?
Communist Russia is a good bet.
 
Communist Russia is a good bet.

Yes, and given Lenin's work along with Stalin's ambitions, it would've ended terribly. Though I do wonder if Lev Trotsky would've joined with them. Sure he had a socialist past and was a Menshevik, but once Russia was out, Trotsky became an important figure within Russia's socialist party and became a high-ranking and respected government official.
 
The Communists failed in the revolutions everywhere else. A few have claimed the several coalitions they were in as successful revolutions, but those were largely electoral successes, of limited scope, and limited duration. Everywhere Communists had any successes at revolts, coups, or one party electoral take overs it was reversed quickly and the Communits organizations were suppressed or fell apart on their failure.

Personally I think a Facist take over of Russia far more likely. The several Facist and authoritarian parties achieved a lot of electoral support, and a number of coalitions that threatened to take the Republic in the direction of Italy, Hungary, Spain, China, ect... At least the Facists had a track record for successful takeovers. Add in the ultra conservative parties controlling France, Japan, and others and the case for a authoritarian Russia is stronger, at least vs the failed Communist movement.
 
Yes, and given Lenin's work along with Stalin's ambitions, it would've ended terribly. Though I do wonder if Lev Trotsky would've joined with them. Sure he had a socialist past and was a Menshevik, but once Russia was out, Trotsky became an important figure within Russia's socialist party and became a high-ranking and respected government official.

Stalin? Sorry, who are you refering to? I'm aware of Lenin of course; father of Socialist Anti-Imperialism and being on the t-shirts of all those edgy Anti-WTO activists, but Stalin must be a more obscure figure.

However, I don't think if you're looking for an authoritarian state you can really count on the Russian Left; it's always defined itself in opposition to the traditional autocracy and parochialism of Old Russia, and championed individual liberty as a result. A right-wing military dictatorship trying for a "White Putche" following the Feb. Revolution seems more likely. Even if the moderate left drops the ball and loses all credabilty, the violent commun ost revolutionaries are dwarfed in power by the reactionaries
 
@CountDVB : Where did you get the name "Stalin" from at all, and who do you associate with it? Not that mad Georgian from the Proletarier aller Länder-verse, or? That is a total commie-wank - even the UK(!) goes communist according to Mats Bödenfischer!
 
Don't you overlook the United Syndicates of the Mediterranean!

...

I hardly think it necessary to list every Facist state that has come, gone, or continues its miserable existence.

Russia is the leading nation of Europe & has been since the mid 20th Century, and has rivaled the US in economic power, and many other measures. Much of the worlds prosperity revolves around the Russian economic colossus. One has to wonder what the world would look like were either Russia or the US a Facist or authoritarian style failed state for the past century or so. Shades of Sinclair Lewis novel 'It Cant Happen Here'
 
According to an old book, Stalin was the name of an obscure radical. His real name was Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili. He was an early member going on with Lenin, but disappeared into the history books though some say that he ended up over in Siberia and may have been linked to the rebellions oft he Far East.
 
Killed by the Japanese by one account, by the KMT in another. Or shot in a internal Bolshivik squabble by yet another. The Nom de Revolution 'STALIN' seems to have been used by two or more revolutionary, further muddling the issue.
 
I hardly think it necessary to list every Facist state that has come, gone, or continues its miserable existence.

Not as a fascist state. You said that every communist revolution failed, which is wrong. The United Syndicates of the Mediterranean are one of the few stable examples of a communist state.

Wha do you think would have happened, had the revolutionaries succeeded in 1938-40 to take the United States - averted by a coup by Patton, Eisenhower and MacArthur?
 
Killed by the Japanese by one account, by the KMT in another. Or shot in a internal Bolshivik squabble by yet another. The Nom de Revolution 'STALIN' seems to have been used by two or more revolutionary, further muddling the issue.

There was that other Stalin, an enforcer bounced from every flavour of radical movement to the other, until he was kicked out of Nestor Makhno's anarchist faction and subsequently poisoned, was there not? Grew a moustache to hide his pockmarked face IIRC.
 
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