The flag of the Soviet Union flies over Vladimir Lenin's tomb during ceremonies in 2007, marking the 90th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Ten years on, the Kremlin's campaigns to reconcile its Soviet and czarist periods reflect the underlying contradictions in Russia's history. Czar Nicholas II, now hailed as a martyr, was an unpopular and ineffectual ruler. The Soviet system, envisioned as a utopia, was forged through a bloody revolution. And today, Russia is a powerful global actor with an increasingly tenuous grasp on its domestic affairs. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP)
WNU Editor: The above picture is from the following photo-gallery .... The 100th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution: A Visual Anthology (Stratfor).