Revolutionary situation: the concept and the main features

As many theorists of the revolutionary movement emphasized in their writings, and first of all VI Lenin, the revolutionary situation is the situation in the country that maximally contributes to the beginning of the revolution. It has its own characteristic features, the most striking among which are the mass revolutionary moods and the inclusion of the widest sections of the oppressed classes in a struggle aimed at overthrowing the existing system. The very existence of a revolutionary situation can be regarded as the emergence of socio-political conditions for the seizure of power by the advanced class.

The main prerequisites for the emergence of a revolutionary situation

The revolutionary situation, according to Lenin, can take shape in view of a number of factors. One of them is the so-called "crisis of the upper strata". It should be understood as an environment in which the ruling classes are deprived of the opportunity to maintain their dominant position in its original form.

As a result, the policies pursued by them are not able to contain the growing indignation and discontent of the oppressed masses. The state of society, in which the "tops" can not live as before, was described by Lenin in his writings as an indispensable condition for the emergence of a revolutionary situation in the country.

But apart from this, he also notes the need for readiness for revolution and its main driving force - the lower strata of society, which constitute the majority of the population and are traditionally the object of exploitation. Such readiness, as a rule, is a consequence of a number of negative consequences caused by a sharp drop in the standard of living of the population.

In addition to economic reasons, the creation of an environment in which the "lower classes" do not want to tolerate the established order further promotes the strengthening of social injustice, the general deprivation of the masses and the aggravation of antagonism (social contradictions) that are the consequence of this political system. The validity of such a statement shows all the historical experience. On the basis of it were written books of Lenin, containing the materials, which later served as leadership in the political struggle of the proletariat.

An important role is played by such factors as the onset of reaction forces, the war or the threat of its beginning, the instability of domestic life in its various manifestations, etc. As a result, the political activity of the masses is often increased to such an extent that for the outbreak of active revolutionary action only Powerful enough detonator.

One more step towards revolution

As emphasized by the revolutionary theory developed by a whole galaxy of progressive thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries, one of the deepest foundations for the emergence of a revolutionary situation lies in the conflict between productive forces and production relations. In view of the importance of this circumstance, it is worthwhile to dwell on it in somewhat more detail.

By productive forces it is customary to understand the totality of means of production: equipment, tools, industrial premises or land plots and that labor, thanks to the skill, skills and knowledge of which the final product is produced. In parallel with the general course of historical progress, the productive forces develop from the most primitive forms to the modern varieties of high-tech production.

Since at all stages of the development of society production was most often carried out collectively, then between the people employed in it, certain relationships developed, determined primarily by ownership of the means of production. It is quite obvious that production relations and productive forces are not only in close connection with each other, but also are interdependent.

As society develops, previously established production relations become obsolete and act as a brake on productive forces. If in the process of history their natural replacement is new, then the conflict is resolved peacefully. Otherwise, the onset of the crisis may provoke an aggravation of social tension. And as a result, a revolutionary situation arises.

What can serve as an impetus to the development of the revolutionary situation?

Many of the works of Lenin and other prominent theorists of the revolutionary movement contain indications that the emergence of a situation in which society becomes ready for a radical change in the existing system depends on a whole range of social and political conditions. These include, first of all, the general state of the state apparatus, the strength of the positions held by the ruling class, and, what is very important, the level of development of the working class, the degree of its merger with other sections of society, and the presence (or lack thereof) of the experience of revolutionary struggle. When the aggravations in the country's social and political life reach a critical level, a situation called a revolutionary situation is created in it.

Many of Lenin's works are devoted to its development. In them he points, in particular, to the fact that such a situation can differ in increasing dynamism and in its development there passes a number of definite stages. The process begins, as a rule, with massive fermentation, observed in all strata of society, and gradually increasing, leading to a national crisis followed by a social explosion followed by a change in the social order.

The importance of the subjective factor in preparing the revolution

As the signs of a revolutionary situation become more evident in the country, the role of the subjective factor, that is, the readiness of the revolutionary masses to implement the necessary social transformations leading to the overthrow of the exploiting class, is increasing. Particularly, its role grows at the stage when social tension reaches the level of the nationwide crisis, since it does not always end with a revolution.

An example of this is the situation prevailing in Russia in 1859-1861, and also in Germany in 1923. In none of these cases did it lead to a revolution only because the progressive class was not ready for active action aimed at seizing power.

As in the first and the second case, the spontaneously created revolutionary situation, without receiving the proper support, gradually began to decline, and the energy of the masses began to fade. At the same time, the ruling classes, which sought to retain power in their hands, made every effort to consolidate their position. As a result, the revolutionary upsurge gave way to a reaction zone.

To precisely define and formulate the signs of a revolutionary situation is extremely important, since it affects the strategy and tactics of struggle in general aimed at overthrowing the rule of the exploiting class. According to historical experience, attempts at a revolutionary transformation of society, undertaken in the absence of objective prerequisites, result in defeat and entail unnecessary sacrifices.

The crisis in Russia in the last quarter of the 19th century

How the revolutionary situation can evolve and develop, it is convenient to trace it in the example of its emergence in Russia in the late 70s - early 80s of the XIX century. That period of national history is characterized by a combination of development of the workers 'and peasants' movement with the struggle of raznochintsy, mainly intellectuals, which formed circles of so-called populists.

Their activities were carried out against a background of a number of negative consequences of the abolition of serfdom. Among them, one can note the prohibitive prices for the peasants buying up landed estates, increasing the volume of duties and other enslaving measures that led to the ruin of the largest class in the country-farmers.

The situation was exacerbated by the famine that arose in a number of provinces due to the crop failure of 1879-1880, as well as the consequences of the recent Russian-Turkish war. In the current situation, widespread rumors of provocative intentions about the allegedly forthcoming redistribution of land were widely spread. All this led to the fact that there were clear signs of possible spontaneous actions by the peasants. This outcome was extremely feared by the government, and at the same time, the Narodnik revolutionaries aspired to it.

Simultaneously, no less threatening picture was emerging in most cities. The consequences of the economic crisis that engulfed Russia in the mid-1970s led to massive unemployment, and as a result, a sharp deterioration in the financial position of the majority of representatives of the working class.

Revolutionary struggle as a consequence of social problems

This resulted in an aggravation of social struggle. It is known that at the end of 1878 and at the beginning of 1879, 89 strikes and 24 other instances of social protests were registered in St. Petersburg, most of which were the result of an underground socialist organization called the Northern Union of Russian Workers. In 1891, the first May Day of the revolutionary proletariat was held in Moscow. Subsequently, these illegal meetings, organized outside the city on May 1, entered the tradition and became one of the forms of political activity of the masses.

The revolutionary situation in Russia in the late 1870s was particularly acute due to the activities of the Narodniks, which have already been mentioned above. If earlier many members of this organization stood on apolitical positions, suggesting the improvement of the social system only by educating the backward and almost entirely illiterate rural population, at that time their views radically changed.

The result was the ensuing split of the All-Russian organization "Land and Freedom" into two wings - the organization "Narodnaya Volya" and "Black redistribution". From now on the Narodnaya Volya chose political terror as the method of their struggle. Very soon, Russia shook and received a wide public response a number of their actions.

The story included the attempt of Vera Zasulich to the St. Petersburg governor FF Trepov, committed to her in 1878, the murder of the chief of one of the gendarmerie directorates of NV Mezentsov, as well as a number of cases of armed resistance to representatives of the authorities, which resulted in victims both with one , And on the other hand. The culmination of everything was another attempt on Alexander II in April 1879, and then his assassination, committed on March 1, 1881.

Completion of the next period of revolutionary struggle

Along with this, from the spring of 1878, the crisis that gripped the ruling classes sharply emerged, in particular, in response to Alexander II's appeal to society with a request for assistance in the struggle against increasingly frequent manifestations of revolutionary sentiments, many zemstvos in the messages sent to him criticized His policy.

Not finding support from the population, the king tried to normalize the situation by taking emergency measures. He transferred cases related to political terrorism to the management of field courts, as well as entrusted the management of the governor-general to the provinces, which immediately led to the decentralization of state power.

However, the arrests that followed the assassination of Alexander II undermined the forces of the Narodnaya Volya, and the lack of support from the broad masses of the population prevented them from using the revolutionary situation to overthrow the existing system. In this case, the fatal role played by their inability to raise the people to fight, using all the prerequisites that existed. In other words, he summed up the very subjective factor discussed above.

Russia on the Eve of the Revolution

The events that preceded the February Revolution (1917 ) and the subsequent seizure of power by the Bolsheviks took shape in a completely different way. In order to understand the pattern of the events that happened, one should take into account the situation in which they occurred and evaluate the actions of their immediate participants.

On the eve of the events that led to the overthrow of tsarism, the revolutionary situation in Russia was formed as a result of a number of objective factors. First of all, the contradictions that caused the First Russian Revolution of 1905-07 were not resolved. In particular, this concerns the land issue, which remained one of the most pressing problems, despite the government's attempts to solve it by implementing the agrarian reform of PA Stolypin.

In addition, one of the detonators of subsequent events was hyperinflation caused by the extremely unsuccessful course of the First World War and the fact that its actions began to unfold in the territory of Russia, affecting many of the most fertile areas. This caused large food shortages in large cities, and led to famine in the villages.

War as a detonator of the revolution

The role of the First World War in the dynamics of the growth of social tension and the creation of a revolutionary situation is very great. Suffice it to say that the number of Russians killed in it amounted to 3 million people, of which almost 1 million is civilians.

Negative impact on the mood of the masses and general mobilization, as a result of which 15 million people, mostly rural residents, were forced to shed blood for foreign interests. The general reluctance to fight was skillfully used by the propagandists who were sent to military units by the political forces fighting for leadership: the Bolsheviks, the Cadets, the Socialist Revolutionary Party (SRs), and so on.

During the First World War, there was a noticeable decline in industrial production, which resulted in the dismissal of a significant number of workers and subsequent unemployment. All of the above circumstances led to the situation in the country, in which the "lower classes", which constituted the greater part of its population, did not want to live as before. This was one of the reasons for the emergence of a revolutionary situation.

Between the two revolutions

At the same time, the "tops" demanded changes, the necessity of which was due to the weakness of the tsarist government politically and economically. The old methods of governing the country clearly outlived their time and no longer ensured the possibility of retaining power by the big bourgeoisie. Thus, there was also a second component of the emergence of a revolutionary situation in the country - the "tops" could not live in the old way.

Lenin's books, widely published in the Soviet period, are full of materials proving the irreversibility of the revolutionary process that began in the country. Indeed, day after day, it developed with ever-increasing strength, which resulted in the fall of the monarchy.

According to contemporaries, throughout 1917 Russia was a boiling political cauldron. The reason for this was that the February Revolution did not solve the main social and political problems that gave rise to it. The Provisional Government that came to power from the first days showed its weakness and complete inability to influence the processes that took place in the life of the country.

The party of the Socialist-Revolutionaries, the most numerous at that time political organization of Russia, numbered in its ranks more than a million members, was not far away. Despite the fact that her representatives held key posts in many government structures, she also could not offer a way out of the crisis that had created and as a result lost political leadership.

The party that took advantage of the revolutionary situation

As a result, the Bolsheviks used the revolutionary situation in the country in time. Their Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party, having managed to win over a significant part of the Petrograd garrison and military sailors of Kronstadt, seized power in October for many years, having become head of state.

Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to believe that during the years of their rule, the situation in the country was not close to revolutionary. If in the 1930s the new authorities managed to suppress all manifestations of social discontent almost completely, the previous decade was marked by repeated speeches of both workers and peasants, who were dissatisfied with many aspects of domestic policy pursued by the government.

Forced collectivization, impoverishment of the population, as well as repressive measures against whole layers of society, have often caused a growing social tension, fraught with an explosion. However, using a wide range of measures, ranging from ideological influence to the use of military force, the Communists each time managed to take the situation under their control.