N.F. Danielson's concept of Russian economic development in the post-reform period in P.B. Struve's criticism

The question about destinies of the capitalism in Russia became rather actual in the post-reformperiod. At this time the original variant of the country's development has been offered by historian-economist N.F. Danielson in whose researchesthe basic theme was the economic development in Russia in the post-reform period. He has formulated the concept, the importantplace in which is occupied by the theory of the special noncapitalistic way of Russian development and by the substantiation of the necessityto refuse the western sample of the economic development. N.F. Danielson's concept has drawn interest at once and a wide response in theRussian scientific circles. The basic reaction of the scientific community was the criticism of its main points.Among «legal Marxists» the fullest and the most consecutive polemic with N.F. Danielson has been spent in P.B. Struve's works. Thebasis of his criticism is the researchers' divergences in a number of key questions for Russian economic development in the post-reform period,they were: the reasons of an impoverishment of peasantry and a reduction of national consumption, ways of Russian economic developmentand in this connection the relation to capitalism. The essence of the N.F. Danielson's concept consists in the proof of alien characterof capitalism for Russian economy. As the main argument in favour of his point of view he gives the fact of an impoverishment of peasantryand reduction of national consumption under the influence of the capitalist relations' development. Optimal for the Russian development N.F.Danielson considers the refusal of capitalism and the returning to traditional bases of an economy (subsistence economy).P.B. Struve holds the opposite opinion. He considers that in 1870-1880th in Russia formed all conditions for the capitalist developmentand refusal of it will lead the country to backlog of the western countries. According to P.B. Struve, the capitalism development will promotealso the improvement of an economic situation of a peasantry prosperous part. Its other part will join in the industrial proletariat. It will favourthe development to industry in Russia.Thus, N.F. Danielson pays attention mainly to the negative side of the capitalization process. P.B. Struve sees, mainly, the positive aspectsof the given process. N.F. Danielson's concept is original and at first sight is represented logical enough and well-grounded. HoweverP.B. Struve's conclusions are more realistic, because he considers more factors of the agrarian and industrial positions in Russia in the lastdecades of the XIX century, and takes into consideration the necessity of its international recognition.

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