Being an important component of world spiritual culture, Russian philosophy until 1917 was famous for its humanism and had a huge impact on the development of all human civilization. It originated in the context of theological thought and was formed under the influence of Orthodox traditions. But the 20th century brought its cardinal changes to this situation. After the October Revolution, state and nationwide support received completely different ideas. During this period, Soviet philosophy developed rapidly, taking as a basis materialistic doctrine, dialectics and a Marxist worldview.
The ideological and political foundation
Philosophy, having become part of the Marxist-Leninist doctrine, turned into the ideological weapon of the new government in the Soviet Union. Its supporters launched a real, irreconcilable war against dissidents. Representatives of all non-Marxist ideological schools were considered such. Their thoughts and works were declared harmful and bourgeois, and therefore unacceptable to workers and adherents of communist ideas.
Many areas of religious philosophy have experienced harsh criticism, ridiculed intuitionism, personalism, unity and other theories. Their followers were persecuted, arrested, often even physically destroyed. Many Russian philosopher scientists were forced to emigrate from the country and continue their scientific activities abroad. From that moment, Russian and Soviet philosophy were divided, and the paths of their followers diverged.
The origins of Marxism and its components
Marxism, according to one of the leading ideologists of this doctrine - Lenin, rested on three main "pillars". The first of these was dialectical materialism, the sources of which were the works of the famous German philosophers of the previous centuries Feuerbach and Hegel. Their followers supplemented these ideas and developed them. Over time, they even evolved from a simple philosophy into a whole vast worldview of the 20th century. According to this doctrine, matter is something that has not been created by anyone, and has always existed in reality. She is in constant movement and development from the lower to the more perfect. And the mind is its highest form.
Marxist philosophy, firmly on its feet during the Soviet period, became the opposite of idealism, which claimed that consciousness was not the primary one. For this, hostile ideas were criticized by V.I. Lenin and his followers, who transferred their doctrine from natural science to political life. They saw in dialectical materialism confirmation that society, developing according to its own laws, is moving towards its ultimate goal - communism, that is, a completely just ideal society.
The origins of another part of the teachings of Karl Marx was the booming English political economy in the 19th century. The ideas of their predecessors subsequently turned out to be socially based, giving the world the concept of so-called surplus value. The primary teacher and inspirer of the philosophy of the Soviet period, who soon became the idol of socialism, in his work, Capital expressed his opinion on bourgeois production. Marx argued that the owners of factories and enterprises are deceiving their workers, since the employed people work only part of the day for themselves and for the development of production. The rest of their time they are forced to work to enrich and fill the pockets of capitalists.
The third source of this teaching was utopian socialism, which came from France. It was also processed, supplemented and scientifically substantiated. And such ideas were embodied in the doctrine of the class struggle and faith in the ultimate victory of the socialist revolution in all countries of the world. All these provisions, according to the ideologists of Marxism, were considered fully proven and could not be doubted. These were the foundations of the Bolshevik ideology and philosophy of the Soviet period.
Stage of formation
The initial stage in the formation of Marxist teaching in the USSR, supplemented in the works of Lenin, is considered to be the 20th of the last century. At this time, the rigid framework of communist ideology was already palpable, but there was still room for disputes between opposing groups, scientific and political discussions. The ideas of Soviet philosophy only took root in the territory of the former Russian Empire, where revolutionary morality gained more and more victory.
But philosopher scientists in their works touched on a wide range of issues: biological, universal, social, economic. Engels' work entitled “Dialectics of Nature”, which was first published just at that time, was actively discussed where there was a place for healthy polemics.
Bukharin's views
Being a convinced Bolshevik, N. I. Bukharin (his photo is presented below) was considered in those years the party's largest and recognized theoretician. He accepted materialist dialectics, but was not a supporter of certain dogmas affirmed from above, but tried to rethink everything logically. Therefore, he became the creator of his own direction in Soviet philosophy. He developed the so-called equilibrium theory (mechanism), which speaks of the relative stability of a society developing in the atmosphere, naturally opposing forces, the very antagonism of which is ultimately the cause of stability. Bukharin believed that after the victory of the socialist revolution, the class struggle should gradually fade. And free thought and the opportunity to openly express and prove one’s point of view will become the foundation for finding truly correct solutions. In a word, Bukharin saw in the future Soviet Russia as a democratic country.
This turned out to be the exact opposite of the ideas of Stalin I.V., who, on the contrary, spoke about the aggravation of the confrontation of classes and party control over the moods and thoughts in the society, leaving no room for doubt and discussion. Freedom of speech was replaced in his ideas by the dictatorship of the proletariat (such a concept was very fashionable and widespread in those days). After the death of Lenin, these philosophical concepts took the form of a political confrontation between two figures who have great influence and power in the country. In the end, Stalin and his ideas won the battle.
In the 1920s, such well-known thinkers as Professor Deborin, who supported materialistic dialectics and considered its foundation and essence of all Marxism, also worked in the country; Bakhtin M.M., who accepted the ideas of the century, but rethought them from the point of view of the works of Plato and Kant. We should also mention Losev A.F. - the creator of many volumes on philosophy, as well as Vygodsky L.S. - a researcher of the development of the psyche from a cultural and historical angle.
Stalin period
The sources of the worldview of Stalin (Joseph Dzhugashvili) were Georgian and Russian culture, as well as the Orthodox religion, because in his adolescence he studied at a theological seminary, and during these years he saw proto-communist ideas in Christian teaching. The severity and rigidity in his character coexisted with flexibility and the ability to think broadly, but the main feature of his personality was intransigence towards his enemies. In addition to being a great politician, Stalin had a considerable influence on the development of Soviet philosophy. Its main principle was the unity of theoretical ideas with practical activities. The top of his philosophical thought is considered the work "On dialectical and historical materialism."
The Stalinist stage in the country's philosophy lasted from 1930 until the end of the life of the great leader and leader of the state. Those years were considered to be the heyday of philosophical thought. But later this stage was declared a period of dogmatism, the vulgarization of Marxist ideas and the complete decline of free thought.
Among the prominent philosophers of that time, V.I. Vernadsky should be mentioned. He created and developed the doctrine of the noosphere - the biosphere, intelligently controlled by human thought, which becomes a powerful factor transforming the planet. Megrelidze K. T. is a Georgian philosopher who studied the phenomenon of thinking developing according to socio-historical laws from a sociological perspective. These and other prominent scientists of that period made a huge contribution to Russian philosophy in the Soviet period.
From the 60s to the 80s
After the death of Stalin, the revision of his role in Soviet history and the condemnation of the cult of his personality, when some signs of freedom of thought began to manifest themselves, a clear revival was felt in philosophy. This subject is beginning to be actively taught in educational institutions not only in the humanitarian, but also in the technical field. The discipline was enriched by the analysis of the works of ancient thinkers and medieval scholars. Prominent representatives of Soviet philosophy during this period traveled abroad, and they were allowed to participate in international conferences. In the same years, the journal Philosophical Sciences began to appear. Interesting studies have appeared about the history of Russia, both in Kiev and in Moscow.
However, this time did not give the world particularly vivid names and ideas in philosophy. Despite the weakening of party dictatorship, the true spirit of freedom and creativity did not penetrate the scientific world. Basically, scientists repeated the thoughts of their Marxist predecessors and stamped phrases that they had learned from childhood. Mass repression was not observed in those days. But scientists knew that if they want to make a career, become famous and have material wealth, they must blindly repeat what the party structures want to hear from them, and therefore creative thought stagnated.
Ideological control in science
Giving a characterization of Soviet philosophy, it should be noted that, based on Marxism-Leninism, it has become a state tool of ideological control over science. There are enough cases when this impeded progressive development and had extremely negative consequences. As a striking example, confirming this, we can cite genetics.
After 1922, this direction seems to have begun to develop rapidly. Scientists were provided with all the conditions for work. Experimental stations and research institutes were created, and an agricultural academy arose. Such talented scientists as Vavilov, Chetverikov, Serebrovsky, Koltsov showed themselves perfectly.
But in the 30s in the ranks of breeders and geneticists there were major disagreements that later led to a split. Many leading geneticists were arrested, received prison sentences, and even were shot. What did these scientists not please the state? The fact is that, according to the majority, genetics did not fit into the framework of dialectical materialism, and therefore, contradicted Soviet philosophy. The postulates of Marxism could not be questioned. Because genetics declared a false science. And the doctrine of "hereditary substance", contrary to common sense, was recognized as idealistic.
In the postwar period, genetics tried to take a rematch and defend their positions, citing the significant successes of foreign colleagues as reasonable arguments. However, in those days, the country no longer listened to scientific arguments, but to political considerations. The time of the cold war has come. And therefore, all capitalist science automatically seemed harmful and inhibiting progress. And an attempt to rehabilitate genetics was declared propaganda of racism and eugenics. The so-called “Michurin genetics” triumphed, promoted by the incompetent academician Academician T. Lysenko (his portrait can be seen below). And only after the discovery of DNA, genetics in the country began to gradually restore its position. It happened in the mid-60s. Such was the philosophy in the Soviet Union, it did not tolerate objections to its postulates and with great difficulty recognized errors.
International influence
Taking Marxism-Leninism as a basis, in some countries their own similar philosophies developed, which turned into a set of certain ideological principles and became a means of political struggle for power. An example of this is Maoism that arose in China. In addition to being brought in from outside, it was also based on national traditional philosophy. At first, he inspired the national liberation movement. And later it even became widespread in many countries of Asia and Latin America, where it is now very popular. The creator of this philosophy was Mao Zedong - a great politician, leader of the Chinese people. He developed a philosophical doctrine, while addressing the problems of cognition, possible criteria for finding the truth, considered issues of political economy, introduced the theory of the so-called “new democracy” into life.
Juche is a North Korean version of Marxism. This philosophy says that a person as a person is not only the master of himself, but also the world around him. Despite significant signs of similarity with Marxism, the identity of national philosophy and its independence from Stalinism and Maoism have always been emphasized in North Korea.
Speaking about the influence of Soviet philosophy on world thought, it should be noted that it made a noticeable impression on both international scientific minds and the political balance of power on the planet. Some took it, others criticized and hated it with foam at the mouth, called it an instrument of ideological pressure, a struggle for power and influence, even a means of achieving world domination. But still she left few people indifferent.
Philosophical Steamboat
The tradition of expelling all dissenting philosophers from the country was laid down by Lenin in May 1922, when 160 people, representatives of the intelligentsia, were forcibly and derogated from Soviet Russia by cruise ships. Among them were not only philosophers, but also figures in literature, medicine and other fields. Their property was confiscated. This was explained by the fact that for humane reasons they did not want to shoot them, but they also could not endure. The mentioned flights were soon called "philosophical steamboats." This was also done later with those who criticized or simply publicly expressed doubts about the implanted ideology. Under such conditions, Soviet philosophy was formed.
One of the dissidents of the triumph of Marxism was A. Zinoviev (his photo below). In the 50s and 60s of the last century in the USSR, it turned into a symbol of the revival of free philosophical thought. And his book "Gaping Heights", published abroad and having a satirical orientation, became the impetus for his fame throughout the world. He was forced to emigrate from the country, not accepting Soviet philosophy. It is difficult to attribute his worldview to any particular philosophical trend, but his moods were distinguished by tragedy and pessimism, and his ideas were anti-Soviet and anti-Stalinist. He was a supporter of non-conformism, that is, he sought to defend his opinion, which was contrary to what was accepted in society. This determined his character, behavior and actions.
