ABSTRACT
Changes in the last major element of the ideology, the World Revolution (WR), evolved more slowly. In fact, the concept remained mostly intact in the minds of Soviet leaders for the first two years of the new regime. The WR remained a goal per se for the first years of Soviet rule, but it soon gave way to the goals of state building and high geopolitical status. To describe the idea of World Revolution as a purely Utopian myth, or an absurdity conjured up by crazy minds, would be to demonstrate a misunderstanding of historical fact. Stalin played a decisive role in changing the ideological focifs from the victory of the World Revolution to the development of socialism in the USSR. The idea of the WR was not only important for the success of domestic policies, but for Russian geopolitics as well.
