4 ms·

Even when it's gone really badly, like the Russian revolution, the revolution was a huge improvement. 80% illiteracy. I think revolutions almost always go well

• mothballed 11mo ago
  I would not characterize the Russian revolution as 'better.' Under the czar successful farming resulted in high taxes. Under the communists, successful farming made you a kulak, you died / starved to death, and then everyone else did too.
  • impossiblefork 11mo ago
    Under the Tsar's total system 80% of the population were illiterate. Keeping normal people illiterate requires immense oppression. With the revolution Russia became much closer to a normal country.
• HeinzStuckeIt 11mo ago
  The Russian Revolution you are probably thinking of is the October Revolution of the Bolsheviks. But the tsar had already been overthrown by the February Revolution earlier that year, and some of the initial steps towards improving Russian literacy like the drafting of an orthography reform were already accomplished under that regime. Russia may well have seen major strides regardless, and the Bolsheviks are widely seen as one of those revolutions that did more harm than good.
  • impossiblefork 11mo ago
    No, I mean the whole thing. I mean that the revolution was necessary. I don't think reforms of orthography were what mattered. What mattered was actually forcing people people to learn to read and also sending people out to teach them. I don't see pre-1918 Cryllic as much more complicated that post 1918 Cryllic, but then I am of course literate and a Swede, so the only thing I find unusual is the symbol of softness, which is probably much less of a problem if you actually speak Russian.