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Poll reveals Russians believe 1917 revolution was positive for country's history

MOSCOW, November 6 (Itar-Tass) -- More than half of Russia's people believe the 1917 revolution that brought the Communist Party to power played a positive role in the country's history. At the same time most respondents would prefer to stay aloof, an opinion poll by the National Public Opinion Studies Center VCIOM found on the eve of the revolution's 85th anniversary.

The poll was held in 33 regions of Russia. A total of 1,600 men and women were questioned.

Thirty three percent of the polled said the revolution boosted the social and economic development of Russia's ethnic groups, and another 27 percent are certain that the revolution started a new era in peoples' history, while 18 percent said the revolution slowed down peoples' development and 9 percent are certain it was a disaster.

Most polled Russians ruled out their personal involvement in October 1917-like revolutionary events. Twenty eight percent said they would watch and wait, 16 percent would leave the country, and 8 percent offer resistance to the Bolsheviks. At the same time 23 percent said they would provide active support for the Bolsheviks, and another 20 percent might cooperate with them to a certain extent.

The poll found that of all political figures of that period Vladimir Lenin has the greatest support - 36 percent. The founder and first chief of the Soviet security police Felix Dzerzhinsky is second with 28 percent, and last Russian emperor Nicholas II, third, with 18 percent. Senior Communist party functionaries Bukharin and Trotsky and Admiral Kolchak have the sympathy of eight to ten percent of the polled each, while Joseph Stalin and Ukrainian rebel peasant leader Pyotr Makhno arouse the strongest antipathy - 30 percent and 26 percent respectively.

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