On 8 March celebrations began for the centenary of the Russian revolution; they will continue for one year. Revolution brought education to those at the bottom of the social pile, while destroying the middle class. Conflicting rich v poor views continue today. Last Sunday Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption and opposition activist, called on his supporters to protest, and accused prime minister Dmitry Medvedev of personal enrichment through embezzlement. The biggest rally of 8,000 people in Moscow was unsanctioned, and 600 were detained. 3,000 demonstrated in St Petersburg (131 detained), 500 in Vladivostok (25 detained), 1,500 in Novosibirsk, and others elsewhere. Many believe that Russia and democracy are incompatible, and that 2017 will reunite Russians to a legacy of revolutions that continues to divide. See http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russian-revolutions-1917-centenary-celebrations-2017-vladimir-putin-bolsheviks-lenin-stalin-trotsky-a7605791.html