Summary

World History Class 14

THE CLASS STARTED WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS TOPICS (05:14 PM)

SOCIALISM (5:16 PM)

Socialism as an ideology differs from thinker to thinker and from time to time.
In the writings of Plato on the 'Ideal State', we find the earlier reference to the concept of socialism.
Socialism came to the limelight with the Industrial Revolution posing new problems and challenges.
When working classes were exploited by capitalists and industrialists, the concept of socialism gained popularity.
England became the first center for socialist ideas.
Robert Owen though himself a capitalist took a sympathetic view of the problem of the working class.
He was for the share of workers in the profits, free-of-cost medicines, and education for the working classes, Thus he was regarded as the father of socialism.
All of England's socialists were influenced by Thomas More's "Utopia", as such they were called Utopian socialists.
In England, different socialist ideas like Guild Socialism, Syndicate socialism, Radical socialism, Fabian socialism, etc.
All different ideas flourished at a time.
A chartarist movement started by the working class but ended up as a failure.
England's capitalists and even the administration took enough care to see the labour unrest would not go to a point of revolution, thus England talked much but did much less for socialism.
However what little England had done continue to remain intact in England.
France was the other country where socialist ideas took a concrete shape Saint Simon was one of the first ones.
Roussou was also a socialist when he condemned private property and talked about primitive communism.
In his text " A Discourse on the Origin of Inequality", Roussou talked about natural and unnatural equality.
For him private property was the source of social inequality.
During the French Revolution, the revolutionary government National Convention (1791-1795) introduced drastic reforms such as the distribution of lands for the landless and essential goods at subsidized rates.
In other words, France definitely experienced socialism with a state-controlled and distributed production system.
However all these ended up in revolution that's why it is said that what more France had done ended and what little England had done survived.
In Germany socialist ideas gained popularity with the formation of the society called 'society for the just'.
Marx and Engels both were members of the society, Marx published the all-time great 'Das Capital' and the Communist Manifesto provided a scientific basis for socialism.
Marxian socialism is called scientific for the reasons as follows:
a) No thinker studied society, its evolution, and explained its progress so elaborately as Marx.
b) He understood the social dynamic and explained socialism from one stage to the other.
c) All Socialist thinkers before Marx were sympathetic towards the problem of the working class and no one could explain where the exploitation takes place and how it takes place like Marx.
d) As a scientific socialist Marx could see the future dynamics of capitalism and gave a prediction that world wars are unavoidable which incidentally proved right.
Components of Marxian Socialism:
Historical, dialectical materialism, was the first concept of socialism and this Marx explained how human society evolved from one stage to the other with primitive communism, the Slave mode of production, the feudal mode of production, Capitalist, Socialist, Modes of production, and finally Communism.
For Marx capitalist system of production won't survive for its own internal problems.
Profit motives severe competition for markets and exploitation of the working classes would definitely end capitalism.
For Marx Socialism means the dictatorship of the proletariat and factors of production.
Secondly it also meant the end of class as everyone would be a worker in a socialist society in the absence of capitalism.
Thirdly It also means state-owned production and distribution.
In explaining historical and dialectical materialism, Marx gave a lot of importance to economic determinism.
He explained this with his idea of "base and superstructure analysis"
For mass economics the basis for elite society technology would bring change in the economy and that change affects and decides the nature of polity, society, religion, and culture.
For Marx in social transformation, the Class struggle is unavoidable for that matter, history is nothing but full of class struggle according to Marx.
Marxian theory "Theory of Surplus value" is the most important component of Marxian socialism.
It explains how and where the real exploitation takes place.
The theory of surplus value means the gap between the wages of the worker and the profit margin of the industrialist and the capitalist.
However there are serious limitations on the scientific socialism of Marx, It is not free from criticism.
The main drawbacks of Marxian Socialism are:
Marx believed that society would always move in one straight-liner mode, however, the reality is a society in some instances may get back to the past.
It so happened in Russia when Lenin after introducing Socialism had to go back to Capitalism.
Marx gave undue importance to economic determination, all can not be explained by in other words sentiments, emotions, ethics, and values also play an important role in social transformation.
His prophecy that England could be the first socialist state was proved wrong when Russia emerged as the first socialist state.
Marx had not given due weightage to the role of the peasants.
His ideas peasants were incapable of revolution proved wrong in the Russian and Chinese revolutions where peasantry participants were more than the working class.
He had not understood the idea that exploitation is a matter of convenience and opportunity.
In other words in a given situation even the working class also exploits and Marx failed to understand this dimension of working-class behavior.
He was not right in concluding that capitalism would perish on its own.
He could not understand the tremendous survival skills of capitalism today and in the near future even if it is proved beyond doubt that capitalism, and not socialism would survive.

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (7:34 PM)

A major event in the history of mankind.
The Russian Revolution heralded a new age, for the first, the working classes could establish their rule and the beginning of real history started in this regard it is said that the Russian Revolution was the logical end of the French Revolution.
Secondly, it was a logical end also for the other reason what the 'chance' Russeau talks about in the French Revolution an attempt was made to break them in the Russian Revolution.
It was influenced by the Marxian idea of 'workers of the world unite, nothing but to lose your chance'.
It was unique for the reason for the beginning to the end it was carried out and conducted as per the ideas envisaged by Karl Marx in the text 'Das Kapital'.
The textual nature of the revolution makes it unique as no other revolution in history was influenced by the ideology of the text.
The other unique aspect is the role of one man called 'Lenin'.
In the revolutions before we find either a class or a community taking the lead.
No, where we find one leader shaping the course of the revolution as it happened in Russia.

REASONS FOR RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (7:45 PM)

Russia continued to remain under feudalism even in the second decade of the 20th century.
In its population, there were 45 million serfs and bonded laborers who were exploited by the feudal class.
The bonded labor and the serfs continued to demand better living conditions.
Czar Alexander -II for the first time liberated the serfs working in the crown lands in 1858 (land of the estate).
Afterward, he introduced the edict of emancipation bonded labor in Russia.
Bonded laborers who were liberated from their problems continued to remain just the same survival became the major problem
A provision was made for the liberated bonded labor to buy small land holdings in 49 installments.
However, the land should remain under the village community 'Min'.
This naturally made the liberated bonded labour unhappy as they had to part their earnings for the land holdings at the same time.
At the same time take care of their essential requirements.
This dissatisfaction continued to remain in Russia and when the revolution started the same bonded labor class turned violent and aggressive, and took an active role in the revolution.
The slow process of industrialization started in Russia and created its own problems.
Russia depended upon France for investments.
Lack of sufficient agricultural land was the other main problem of industrialization that started with Peter the Great and made progress under Catherine the Great.
The consequent effect was the formation of industrial labor and small-scale industrialist and capitalist classes.
As the labor market continued to remain, cheap industrialist workers were exploited by the capitalists.
In Russia, labor unions were not allowed and strikes were banned this naturally made the labor class turn restless.
The problem of the Capitalist class as they were rich but had no recognition and no role in decision making they demanded constitutional reforms.
Thus the formation of new social classes in Russian society created more restlessness.
Russia also witnessed the formation of political parties.
In 1898 parties for industrial workers called 'workmen' social democratic party was formed.
After a few years, a split took the part diving into Moderates and Radicals.
Moderates were called Mensheviks which were led by Alexander Kerensky.
Moderate wanted socialism in due course of time that too by constitutional reforms.
Whereas radicals were called Bolsheviks they were led by Lenin Trotsky for the class struggle was unavoidable and they wanted socialism to be established at the earliest.
The agricultural labour and peasantry also had their party called the Social Democratic Party.
Thus the formation of political parties in Russia caused the political consciousness required for revolution.
The ruling dynasty of Russia called Romanov was highly discredited and became unpopular both inside and outside Russia.
They lost all the battles they fought against their enemies.
When Russia was defeated in the Crimea War in 1856 -58 to revive its image the public emperor Alexander II issued an edict of emancipation.
When Russia was defeated in 1905 by Japan's Russian parliament Duma was provided.
In 1914 when World War -I started the war itself ended the Romanov dynasty in the form of a revolution.
Russia also experienced an intellectual revolution and a type of romanticism movement with great intellectuals like Leo Tolstoy, Turgenev, Chekhov, Edmond Gorky, and Dostoievsky.
The new political ideologies formed in Russia were liberalism, radicalism, Nihilism, and Universalism.
Liberals were for a smooth and gradual social transformation.
Radicals were for dogmatic socialism in toto, and Nihilists were for a new social order completely replacing the existing one.
Universalist like Leo Tolstoy views a moral and ethical value-based social life.
The immediate cause of the revolution was Russia's participation in WW I.
The economically not-so-sound Russia entered the war on behalf of Serbia.
She sustained heavy losses on the other hand agricultural production received a severe setback.
There were widespread demonstrations, disturbances, and bread strikes in Russia's rural and urban centers.
On March 8, 1917, a massive people's movement started in Moscow Army supported the movement.
The ruling Romanov administration lost its credibility with unscrupulous leaders like Alexandria and Rasputin.
The provincial government was formed by constitutional democracy under the leadership of Professor Malenkov.
It was replaced by social democrats under the leadership of Alexander Kerensky. Both governments failed to stand up to the expectations of the people particularly the working class, peasantry, and the army.
In October 1917, the Bolsheviks captured power under the leadership of Lenin & Trotsky.

THE TOPIC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: COURSE OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION.