ONE of the defining moments of the 20th century was the Russian Revolution, in which the ancien regime of the czar was overthrown, to be replaced with a radical Marxist state.

The subsequent October Revolution, which led to the establishment of Soviet Russia, would unleash momentous events that would shape much of modern history, including the creation of the USSR and the outbreak of the Cold War in the aftermath of the Second World War. Tomorrow, as we observe the centenary of the October revolt, it would be useful to examine the impact communism had on geopolitics, as the tussle between the Eastern and Western blocs touched nearly every continent.

While the West may indeed have `won` with the fall of the USSR in 1991, the influence of socialism on global events was significant. It exposed the worst predatory aspects of capitalism and tried to give the worker and the peasant a fairer deal by sharing with them the fruits of their labour. The USSR was also influential in supporting numerous liberation movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America, helping the wretched of the earth throw off the imperial yoke.

Socialist states strived to put bread on the citizen`s table, along with providing the people health, education and shelter. However, the USSR and the system it championed failed to create a sustainable socialist utopia. Inequalities persisted, especially in certain states where the party bosses lived in luxury while the comrades toiled on. History also witnessed some truly monstrous regimes, such as the bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and Ceausescu`s repressive state in Romania.

This part of the world was not immune to the East-West tussle.

Early on, the Pakistani establishment decided to pin its hopes on the Western bloc, becoming part of US-led defence pacts. India, on the other hand, became a firm Soviet client. The fact that the Pakistani left was riven by internal divisions especially in the wake of the Sino-Soviet split did not help matters. In Pakistan, the closest the left came to mainstream power was through the PPP of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, which mixed `Islamic socialism` with a populist political message. It is also true that this region suffered, and continues to suffer, because of the East-West conflict, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and the cold warriors of the day, led by president Reagan and Gen Zia, decided to confront the Soviet behemoth. Afghanistan has not seen stability for decades, while Pakistan still reels from the impact of that episode. The Soviet style of socialism may have failed because of the totalitarianism and authoritarianism it promoted, but the fact is that the injustices and class war that socialism highlighted remain relevant even today, and need to be considered by all governments in an attempt to create more just societies.