Russian Novels and Socialism
Has anyone read some of the Russian novels that came out of the tsarist regime? This is pre-socialism. Novels like Chernyshevsky's What is to be Done?, written while he was in prison, Dostoevsky's Underground Man, a response to the previous novel, and Puskin's short story, The Bronze Horseman, seem to predict the coming revolution.
This is a period in history where dissidents were either executed for treason or shipped to Siberia. These authors appear to be boldy calling for reform, or if not calling, proclaiming that the serfs will rise and settle old scores.
While I don't see these novels as the direct cause of Marxism, or the rise of Lenin (although he quoted Chernyshevsky on multiple occasions), they seem to have instilled the idea of equality in whomever could obtain a copy. The proverbial straw that permanently redefined Russia.
1 Comments:
Many of those novels (Chernyshevsky's particularly) are not causes, but products of Marxism (or some form of socialism).
Marx was writing in the 1840s, along w/ other socialists like Luxembourg, Bakunin, Trotsky, Bernard Shaw, and others. Earlier socialists included went as far back as the ancient Greek city-states, though the first important "modern" socialist was Saint-Simon, who wrote his "scientific socialism" in the early 1800s.
The USSR followed "Marxism-Leninism", which is different from orthodox Marxism in significant ways. But Marxism survives. He (along w/ Engels) founded the Social Democratic party in Germany (still the largest party in the country). The oldest socialist party is the British Labour party, currently headed by Tony Blair.
Just for some historical context. By the time these Russians are writing, Marxism is becoming popular. But so were nihilism & anarchism (Bakin, for example). All of these were revolutionary to some extent or other, and these were popular beyond Russia as well (think Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle").
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