“Lessons of October”: Problems of Scientific Understanding and Historical Memory of the Russian Revolution of 1917

Abstract

The article highlights a scientific conference dedicated to the centenary of the October Revolution of 1917, held in Paris on October 16–18, 2017, with the participation of Russian historians from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg (the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Peter the Great, Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin were there), as well as French historians, art historians, publicists, public figures. The conference was also addressed by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the French Republic A. K. Orlov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation Shvydkoi, Bishop of Korsun Nestor. The conference was organized by the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Orthodox Center. At the conference Russian and French specialists come out with reports on various issues of history of the Great Russian Revolution, as well as current problems facing Russian and French (more — European) society in the light of the century of the events of 1917: the change of the historiographic paradigm of the revolution, the role of V. I. Lenin in the revolution, the consequences and price of the revolution, the revolution in historical memory in Russia and abroad, the Russian post-revolutionary emigration, the problems of the economic history of the revolution, etc. Summing up the papers unanimously noted that the Great Russian Revolution of 1917 remains one of the most significant events in the global history of new and modern times. In the days of the conference in the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Orthodox Center the exhibition “1917 History without Omissions”, which presented visual evidence of the Great Russian Revolution was opened.