Part 7/10:
Ironically, the very revolution that sought to dismantle the autocracy did little to curb alcohol's pervasive grip on society. The Bolshevik Party took on an initial prohibitionist stance, denouncing alcohol as a tool of the bourgeoisie to control the proletariat. However, when Stalin rose to power, he quickly reinstated the vodka production that the revolutionaries had tried to eradicate. This duplicity reflected a cynical acknowledgment of alcohol’s role as both an economic commodity and a tool for suppressing dissent.