It does not consider the former Soviet Union socialist , but rather a " tragic degeneration " of the Russian Revolution and the socialist tradition . While it views the Russian Revolution positively as a mass democratic revolution of the working class in Russia , it is in complete opposition to the bureaucratic dictatorship that came about after the death of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin 's subsequent reign of terror . It sees these not as an inevitable outcome of the Russian Revolution , but an expression of Russia 's isolation and economic starvation and a result of the vacuum of workers ' power from below . " This was not a healthy ground upon which socialism could be built . The whole basis of socialism is having enough to go around , but Russia did n't have that . In this context , the democratic structures in the Soviets ( workers ' assemblies ) ceased to function
reign of terror
Great Purge
Socialist Alternative (Turkey)