Image of Soviet Russia in publications of <i>die Weltbühne</i> magazine (1917-1921)
Die Weltbühne, which was one of the leading democratic media during the Weimar Republic, paid special attention to Russia. The Russian revolution and the victory of the Bolsheviks triggered off a discussion in the German society about the possible future directions in the development of the Soviet system. The German leftist intellectuals were actively engaged in the debates on the subject of Russia, particularly during the Soviet regime emergence (1917-1921). The article demonstrates that the perception of the Soviet Russia was ambiguous and controversial on the left side of the country’s political spectrum (SPD, USPD). On one hand, the liberation from tsarism and imperial policies were hailed, but on the other hand, there was criticism towards the mass terror and violent methods used by the Bolsheviks to maintain their unchallenged power.