On Methods and Approaches in Russian Revolution Studies

The article discusses approaches to the Russian Revolution studies. The author notes that the overwhelming part of the century-long historiography of the Russian Revolution is a historiography of the continuing ideological fight of the "Red" and the "White", the two extremes in revolution studies inherited from the Revolution and the Civil War and pursuing both the Russian and world science till today. The author also notes that there is a methodological crisis in the scientific direction of the theory of revolution and in the Russian Revolution studies, which started in the 1980s, in both domestic and foreign research: the existing methodologies and techniques of research do not meet the researchers' needs, new ones do not appear. A characteristic feature of modern historiography is eclecticism: connection of various positions and provisions, sometimes opposite and mutually exclusive. The present stage of the development of science and society presses for changes of approaches in the Russian Revolution studies. The existing methodologies and approaches do not offer solutions even to the paramount problems of the definition of the phenomenon, of the reasons of the Russian Revolution, its dating, social basis, etc. Similar discussions are century-long, and they have not reached a scientific or public consensus. In this regard, a shift in the paradigm is required. The scientific basis for an abolition of the prevailing subjective evaluative attitude to the Russian Revolution and the methodological crisis, in the author's opinion, lies in the formation of an objective approach to the analysis of the Russian Revolution as part of the world historical process connected with the transition of civilizations to a condition of modern civilizations of Modern (and Contemporary) History. The Russian Revolution lies in the general field of the regularities inherent in the totality of the "revolution" phenomena, the regularities and diversity formed in sorts and types of revolution. The Russian Revolution is a classical revolution, like English and French ones. Owing to social, economic and other reasons, it occurred much later than in Europe: it took place in the country with a multinational population and regions with a different level of development and strong local features. In terms of historical development, the Russian Revolution was a phenomenon natural in all its stages and provided a civilization jump in Russia's development. The Great Russian Revolution, like the Great French one a century prior to it, became an epoch-making event in world and Russian history, changed the history, geography, policy, and international relations of the 20th century. Due to its features, the Russian Revolution established a new pattern of modernization and a model for imitation replacing the Great French Revolution for the countries of the so-called Third World.

Keywords

Authors

References