Culture and power in revolutionary Russia : the intelligentsia and the transition from tsarism to communism

This book shows that the rise of the intelligentsia occurred earlier than is normally thought, and that by 1922, rather than 1932, the underlying principles of the new Soviet government's policies towards culture had already emerged and "proto-Stalinism" was increasingly important. When the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917 their underlying aim was nothing less than the transformation of human nature. In place of the selfish, competitive individual of capitalist society, socialism would allow the altruistic, co-operative and collectivist dimensions of the human personality to flourish. The implementation of this Utopian project, however, was hampered not least by arguments about tactics, and by the harsh circumstances of the period. In the event, cultural revolution, the revolution of values, proved much harder for the Bolsheviks to achieve than any other of their major goals. This book examines why this was so. Front Matter....Pages i-xii The Making of the Russian Intelligentsia....Pages 1-38 The Intelligentsia in War and Revolution....Pages 39-93 The Bolsheviks and Cultural Life during the Civil War....Pages 94-141 Laying the Foundations of Cultural Power....Pages 142-185 Compromise or Confrontation? The Contours of Cultural Policy, 1923–5....Pages 186-229 Conclusion....Pages 230-234 Back Matter....Pages 235-266