K. Marx and A.A. Bogdanov about revolution in Russia
The direct purpose of this research is the analysis of K. Marx's and A.A. Bogdanov's views about principal opportunity and prospects of revolution in Russian Empire and the comparison of these scientists' theoretical conclusions with real course of the historical events which were finished with the February revolution of 1917 and the Civil war 1918-1921. Relevance of such purpose statement is defined by "methodological crisis" which characterizes a number of the influential directions of a modern scientific, social and political thought: supporters of these directions quite often base their researches not on real historic facts, but on ideological myths - first of all, on myth about Marxism as theoretical base of an aggressive and violent reorganization of social system. This article is analyzing works of K. Marx and A.A. Bogdanov (one of the most authoritative Russian Marxists at the beginning of 20th century). The analysis shows that theoretical positions of "Capital" were not political propaganda character, but especially diagnostic one, and they concerned exclusively Western European capitalist society. Marx in "Capital" spoke only about private property overcoming, assuming evolution of the western society from capitalism to socialism; the idea of private property destruction by revolution arose among the Russian Marxists because of the incorrect translation of Marx's words by G.V. Plekhanov. Marx had special opinion about Russia. His opinion based on detailed studying of the Russian social, economic and political reality according to primary sources. From them the author of "Capital" made a conclusion that Russia is essentially other civilization type, which can not evolve to industrial society on the western patterns. Marx explained that westernization paradigm of social and economic development is unfit for Russia because the attempt to build capitalism due to peasantry expropriation can cause in Russian conditions only social explosion and political system destruction: radical pauperization of 90% of people is principally capable to cause only degradation of all nation. It was a reason why Marx rigidly criticized ideas of the Russian revolutionaries who thought that a peasants' community is one of the major obstacles to progressive transformations of Russia. Marx most negatively characterized actions of Russian Empire government which was interested in western-styled economic reform supported by taking 198.25% of peasants' agricultural work income from 1861 to 1932. As an alternative of western experience non-critical copying Marx offered for Russia a strategy of peasants' community integration into industrial productivity relations' system without any destruction of peasants' social and economic cooperation traditional form. A.A. Bogdanov did not know with these Marx's conclusions but he came to almost similar ideas on the basis of his own analysis of the Russian reality of the beginning of the 20th century: Bogdanov thought that the maximum integration of the peasantry not only in social and political, but also in economic and cultural life of the country is strongly needed because it could provide increase in structural stability of the Russian society. Historical events of 1909-1917 showed that the actual isolation of 90% of people from participation in social and political life in combination with unbalanced economic policy and noncritical copying of foreign economic organization experience open a way to the total disaster destroying the state and society.
Keywords
марксизм, капиталистическая формация, революция, Российская империя, крестьянская община, Marxism, capitalist formation, revolution, Russian Empire, peasants communityAuthors
Name | Organization | |
Lutsenko Anton V. | Seversk Technology Institute of National Research Nuclear University «MIFI» | antom9@rambler.ru |
References

K. Marx and A.A. Bogdanov about revolution in Russia | Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2018. № 52. DOI: 10.17223/19988613/52/19