Russian socialist movement as a left direction in politics

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Together with the collapse of the totalitarian Soviet regime, the one-party political system also collapsed. The post-Soviet space was filled with many public associations, often of a completely incomprehensible direction. Terms are pouring out of the media, the meaning of which remains a mystery to us.

Developing attitudes

Socialism is one of the manifestations of the left (anti-capitalist) direction in politics. The Soviet Encyclopedia interprets it as a social structure in which there are no opposing classes, no exploitation of man by man, and labor power is not a commodity. In addition to socialism, leftist currents include social democracy, anarchism (social), liberalism (social) and, of course, communism.

The teaching originated in the 16th century and took on modern forms by the beginning of the 19th century, in the era of the industrial revolution. The founders of the new ideology, K. Marx and F. Engels, took the initiative to unite the disparate socialist groups into the organization International Partnershipworkers”, called the First International (1864). The struggle of views and currents led to stratification in the environment of the formation - and in 1876 it fell apart. It should be noted the short existence of the first major organization of this nature, but this contributed to the familiarization of the working masses with a new ideology and the formation of many workers' parties in different countries of Europe.

All socialist movements can be roughly divided into:

• popular socialist;
• national socialist;
• traditional socialist.

People's socialist movement in Russia (late 19th-early 20th century)

Our country is no exception. The emerging movement set itself the goal of reorganizing society in a revolutionary way. Among the many small and large associations, two stand out. They left a significant mark in shaping the political beliefs of subsequent generations.

In 1902, various neo-populist circles of the left current united - a new Party of Socialist Revolutionaries was created (leader - V. M. Chernov). The organization offered a peaceful solution to the transition to socialism and became the most numerous and influential among parties with non-Marxist ideology. It ceased to exist by 1925.

In 1906, the People's Socialist Party was established. One of the founders was the famous publicist N. F. Annensky. The supporters of the party shared the ideas of the populists about the possibility of achieving socialism, bypassing the capitalist stage. They advocated the nationalization of land and its distribution directly among producers, as well as the right of each ethnic group to create their own autonomies in the country. This is the only Russian socialist movement among the populists that excluded terror as a means of struggle. Subsequently, it merged with another movement within the Labor People's Socialist Party.

Modern Russia

Now on the territory of the Russian Federation, among the formations of the traditional socialist orientation, the organization “Russian Socialist Movement” stands out, formed as a result of the merger of some associations of the socialist type - mainly with a Trotskyist orientation (Trotskyism is an interpretation of the theory of K. Marx by L. Trotsky) - in 2011. Democratic, revolutionary, socialist and anti-fascist convictions are taken as a basis. The founding documents of the RSD say that the key goal of the organization is “comprehensive support for all forms of struggle and self-organization of workers, primarily through militant trade unions.”

"The Russian Socialist Movement" takes an active part in the activities of trade unions, environmental, women's associations and has more than ten branches in the regions. The organization is headed by some prominent cultural figures, such as the writer E. Babushkin, the poet K. Medvedev and the artist A. Zhilyaev.

Nationalist sentiments

Activities of the National Socialist Society (NSO), the mostlarge neo-Nazi organization in modern Russia, was declared illegal and extremist by the Supreme Court in 2010. The association positioned itself as the only representative of the national socialist movement in Russia, ready to fight for real power. It was engaged in open propaganda of the corresponding ideology. Representatives of the NSO sought to create a party and build a state in accordance with their convictions. A fairly significant part of the society's activities was combat training. As a result of the merger of the paramilitary organization, Russian National Unity (founder A. Barkashov) and several large skinhead formations were created.

View from the "West"

According to European and American experts, the socialist movement in Russia is still in its infancy. It does not have a stable activity structure worked out over decades. However, in their opinion, there is a tendency towards an increase in the democratization of the Russian socialist movement and an increase in its status and role in the political life of the state.