History

This Order was established by a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on the date of October 31, 1967, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution.

It was conferred upon individual citizens, military units, and civilian and state organizations for revolutionary activity, achievements in the development of Communism, for developments in science, economics, and culture, and for bravery in battles. The statues state that the Order of the October Revolution was to be awarded for active, revolutionary activity that strengthened soviet authority; for exemplary achievements in building socialism and developing communism; for outstanding accomplishments in developing the economy, science and culture; for bravery and courage displayed in battles with enemies of the Soviet State; for notable achievements in strengthening the defensive might of the Soviet State; for especially productive government and social activity; for activities directed at strengthening friendly ties among the peoples of the Soviet Union and other governments - strengthening peace among the peoples of the earth. Following the death of a recipient, the award remains with the family.

The first people to be awarded this order were 13 famous Soviet military leaders, and their orders were numbered 9 to 21.

The order is made of gold, silver and red enamel. It consists of three pieces, and the reverse is marked with a Monetny Dvor stamp. This order has two variations.

Variation I has only one rivet to secure the hammer and sickle to the base. The serial numbers range from roughly 1 to 56,324.

Variation II was instituted in 1974 and presents two rivets to secure the hammer and sickle to the base. The serial numbers range from roughly 61,134 to 109,476.

The obverse presents the cruiser Aurora, the ship with instigated the storming of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1917. The ship's radio was also used to broadcast Lenin's speech announcing the success of the victory of the worker's revolution. Russian inscription translates to: "October Revolution."