WHAT IS POLITICS?
11.1 Why the Russian Revolution Failed: When Rich Kids do all the Socialism
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Soviet Union's dictatorship contradicted worker control ideals
- Late 19th-century Russia had diverse socialist movements
- Anarchism in Russia lacked peasant support due to urban focus
- Russian peasants aligned with Tolstoyan ideas of land redistribution
Deep dives
Communist countries and dictatorships
Communist countries have been dictatorships because they intentionally chose to emulate the Soviet Union's Marxist-Leninist model, which aimed at industrializing and achieving national independence, rather than fulfilling promises of worker control.
Socialist goals and Soviet Union's failure
The Soviet Union's establishment aimed at creating a socialist society that would abolish domination and empower workers to control workplaces. However, instead of worker democracy, it led to a dictatorship of the state over labor.
Socialist movements in Russia
In late 19th century Russia, socialist movements varied between populism and Marxism. Populist socialists believed in a peasant-based socialism, envisioning communes and democratic republics, while Marxist social democrats focused on organizing factory workers for a future transition to socialism.
Anarchist perspective in Russia
Anarchism, despite influential Russian thinkers like Bakunin and Kropotkin, had minimal impact in Russia. Anarchists advocated for stateless societies and mutual aid, concepts aligned with peasant aspirations historically but failed to gain popularity in Russia among peasants or intellectuals.
Peasant Ideology and Leo Tolstoy's Influence
Peasants in late 19th-century Russia were inspired by Leo Tolstoy's Christian anarchist ideas, advocating for the abolition of private land ownership and equal redistribution of land based on family size. Despite their alignment with socialist principles, Tolstoyan anarchists focused on pacifist spiritual movements over revolutionary political actions.
Peasants' Social Structure and Religious Integration
The social structure of Russian peasants was characterized by communal living on communes with both communal and private property. Economic inequality within communes was cyclical due to family life cycle stages. Peasants incorporated state religion into their beliefs through syncretism, adapting it to fit their peasant values and economic practices.
Anarchism's Limited Reach Among Russian Peasants
Anarchism failed to gain momentum among Russian peasants due to anarchists' lack of engagement with rural communities. The majority of anarchists focused on urban areas, neglecting opportunities to connect with the peasant population. Additionally, the violent tactics of some anarchist groups, including terrorism, tarnished the movement's reputation, hindering peasant support for anarchist ideologies.
The leaders of the Russian Revolutions of February and October 1917 sought to establish socialism: a deeply democratic economic and political system where the employee/employer relationship is abolished, and where workers control their workplaces, the means of production and the government via the “free association of the producers”.
Instead the revolutions resulted in the establishment of the Soviet Union: an authoritarian state where the government became the sole employer and the state controlled the workers instead of the other way around. This then became the model for “communist” countries around the world.
Why did the Soviet Union fail at socialism?
What can we learn about this failure to apply to our political struggles in the present and future?
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