Majority favour Bolshevik Revolution Poll

["Ulhas Joglekar" <ulhasj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

5 November 1999 : Majority favour Bolshevik Revolution: Poll

MOSCOW: A majority of Russians believe the Bolshevik Revolution, which
brought Communism to Russia, wasn't a bad thing, according to a poll
published Thursday. The poll by the All-Russia Public Opinion Center said 45
percent of those surveyed agreed that the revolution played a positive role
in Russian life and history.
The poll, with a margin of error of 4 percent, said that 35 percent
disagreed that the revolution was good, while 20 percent were undecided. The
center conducts the poll each year to mark the Nov. 7 anniversary of the
revolution. Last year's poll indicated that approval for the revolution was
down, with just 15 percent saying they would have aided the Bolsheviks.
Approval ratings for the revolution were up this year, probably because of
the country's continuing economic and social problems and the uneven impact
of market reforms. Communists and some elderly Russians still regard the
revolution's anniversary as the most important date on the calender and some
take part in rallies and marches. However, President Boris Yeltsin in 1997
renamed the Nov. 7 holiday that used to mark the revolution as the Day of
National Accord and Reconciliation. Many Russians, particularly young
people, see the event as just a day off work.

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