The 1917 Russian Revolution stands out as one of the 20^th century’s defining moments. The revolutionaries’ objective was to create a radically new kind of state, society, and human being.  The experiment collapsed in 1991, yet the world continues to deal with its consequences one hundred years after the fact. The following event is part of an international project aimed at exploring the Revolution’s many legacies that continue to impact the world today.

 Panel 1: Why Study the Russian Revolution Today?

Globalization was a volatile topic in 1917. Imperialism, capitalism, communism, and cosmopolitanism were all issues that preoccupied the leading thinkers and actors of that period. It remains so today, even as it finds itself on the retreat. What can we learn about globalization from the 1917 narration and prophesies?

Discussants:     

• Zvi Gitelman, University of Michigan
• Francine Hirsch, University of Wisconsin
• Ivan Kurilla, European University at Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia
• Serhii Plokhii, Harvard University

• Dariusz Stola, The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw, Poland

Moderator:       

• Matthew Rojansky, Kennan Institute

11:00–11:15        COFFEE BREAK

11:15–12:45        Panel 2: The Russian Revolution and the Roots of Today’s Globalized World

Globalization was a volatile topic in 1917. Imperialism, capitalism, communism, and cosmopolitanism were all issues that preoccupied the leading thinkers and actors of that period. It remains so today, even as it finds itself on the retreat. What can we learn about globalization from the 1917 narration and prophesies?

Discussants:     

• Leon Aron, American Enterprise Institute
• Andrea Graziosi, National Agency for the Evaluation of University and Research, Italy
• William Pomeranz, Kennan Institute
• Elizabeth Wood, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Moderator:       

• Audrey Altstadt, University of Massachusetts, Amherst