CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Davydov, Yevgeniy |
|---|---|
| Title | Tolstoyan Critique of Socialism and the Soviet State in 1917-1920 |
| Summary | This thesis argues that Tolstoyans adopted and reproduced Tolstoy’s critical discourse on socialism in 1917-1920. The first chapter stresses the peculiar moral character of Tolstoy’s thought and reconstructs the main arguments of his critique of socialism. Tolstoy saw socialism as a false teaching which cannot liberate people but can only lead to a deepening of violence and state slavery. Tolstoy contrasted to socialism his own idea of liberation through moral personal transformation and disobedience to the state. Tolstoy hoped Russia was going to be the first to begin the non-violent revolution that would become an example to the rest of world. The second chapter analyzes the attitudes towards socialism and the soviet state as expressed in the periodical of Tolstoyans in 1917-1920, Golos Tolstogo i Yedineniye [The Voice of Tolstoy and Unity]. Despite the historiographical vision of ideological proximity of Tolstoyism to socialism, my analysis shows that it was distinct from socialism. Tolstoyans were not sympathetic to socialism but rather constantly stressed their distinct character from it. As an alternative to socialism they promoted Tolstoy’s idea of non-violent character of the Russian people, his idea of rational morality of non-violence, and disobedience to the state as the only means for individual and social betterment. |
| Supervisor | Riedl, Matthias |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/davydov_yevgeniy.pdf |
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