Influence of Communist Russia on Russian Culture - Article Example

How Did the Communist Russia Influence Russian Culture? Student Name Instructor Course Date How Did the Communist Russia Influence Russian Culture? Introduction According to Henry (2009), communism refers to the Russians way of life during the 20th century. It means communal ownership of all material possessions. There was no individual ownership of money, property, or agricultural goods. Everything was owned communally. Karl Marx stated that communism was the most intense form of socialism. It emphasized on the ‘dialectical materialism’ which opposed the existence of God by putting emphasis on matter. According to Marx, it evolved from economic struggles between different classes in the violent revolution route to a society that owns everything communally (Hosking 2001). In 1917, Lenin launched the Marxist socialism to Russia, at the time when the Congress of Soviets took over power (Kli︠u︡chevskiĭ 1960). The major theory of communism was that land, industries, banks, and machines ought to be controlled by the state. All workers do not vary in payment, and all contribute to the success of the whole. Each has the right to take from the earnings of the whole according to the individual needs (Lansford 2008). Influence on Russian Culture Russian culture refers to the culture associated with the Russians and has a lengthy history. According to Kli︠u︡chevskiĭ (1960), Russian culture originated from East Slavs with the pagan faith. Initially, the Russian culture was largely authorized by the neighboring tribes. The situation reversed during the communist ideology in 20th century. Russia got renamed as the Soviet Union. The communist ideology turned to be the main aspect in the Soviet Union culture (Lansford 2008). The Russian culture was extremely varied owing to colonization. Russians were educated in the communist belief and were expected to pass on the knowledge despite the difficulty of the situation. Any individual who used his authority for self benefits was eliminated from the party. According to Lansford (2008), the communists’ theory was to improve the treatment of the working poor, but in reality it did not work according to the theory as seen in Lenin and Stalin case. Anybody who resisted the communist rule was eliminated instead of doing party promotions (Hosking 2001). Russia for many years was a geographically and politically separated from the western influence of civilization and culture (Henry 2009). During the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, considerable progress occurred and modernized the Russian society. There was the implementation of education reforms that brought about literacy and also another program that modernized the Russian Agriculture. These achievements were reached with a lot of arguments and setbacks. None of these issues needed revolution as the answer, and there was no basis anguish that Russia would still encompass the success without war (Trochev 2012). The Russian oppositional movement opposed the gradual, peaceful, and successful procession of reforms. They demanded total demolition of tsarist power and its operation at social level (Lansford 2008). The main revolutionary parties included the socialist Revolutionaries and the Social Democrats. The communists come out form the Social Democrats. They did not want reform to occur peacefully for they did not support its occurrence (Ziegler 2009). A lot of change occurred to the culture and education components of the Russian society of that era. The Lenin regime in the initial period of the Soviet power managed to physically destroy or drive out the largest part of the whole generation. This act would have been referred to as the bourgeois intelligentsia (Hosking 2001). Stalin later eliminated the group that had remained. Therefore, Lenin and Stalin man managed to eradicate a huge portion of the dreadful cultural community that came into existence the tsardom’s final decade. The loss of this group led to the loss of cultural continuity of which this group played a major role. Thereafter, it was impossible to completely reunite the tattered ends of this immense chain of nationalized growth, which is currently brutally severed (Sutela & Shleifer 2007). Despite the harsh effects on the country’s intellectual and cultural system, Stalin later inflicted this elimination to other populations that resulted to more severe injury to the Russian culture. In the Stolypin reforms, majority of the proficient and successful section of the farming population were to be retained (Lansford 2008). In 1929, Stalin did the opposite; he aimed at eliminating this group. He eliminated them by ruthlessly taking away the property they owned, deportation of a large population of this group and other peasant families, and execution of those who appeared to resist (Henry 2009). When citizens noticed that the communists had been lying to them began to resist as everything was owned communally (Rostow 1955). Farmers cultivated only what they required since all the surplus went to the state government. Industry workers resisted the work which led to fall of production levels compared to the initial output (Hosking 2001). Occasions showed that communism as suggested by Marx and Lenin contradicts human nature and fairness. The peasants were made to work in collective farms and factories by the communist regime. Majority of the Russians who resisted these rules to work in individual farms were either killed or taken to Siberia as slaves in jail camps (Sandle 2006). Russia has enjoyed the least success compared to other states despite the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia had not had a fully functioning democratic system. Russia had experienced 74 years of communist law and had no parliamentary democracy during Tsar autocratic rule (Ziegler 2009). Reformers did not have any democratic culture to draw from. There was no plan for democratic change, and this is blamed on the consequences of communist’s political culture that hindered the growth of a healthy society. According to March (2012), the strongest part of the moment was the Russian Communist Party, which succeeded in the retention of Soviet assets and sustenance. Religion and culture suffered a lot during the communist regime. Religion was viewed as an opponent of the communist regime (Lansford 2008). Children could not learn religion and publishing of religious literature was prohibited. Most bishops, pastors, and religious leaders were executed or put to jail terms. Youths were called upon to spy on their own guardians and inform the police if they got involved in any form of religious activities at home (Henry 2009). Also, they were to report any practice contrary to the communist rule. Marriage was no longer viewed as sacred and indissoluble as divorces were easily obtainable. Two people just made a signature on a state paper to get married or to get divorced. Lenin aim of introducing communism was a world authority by communists because communism later spread throughout the globe (Trochev 2012). The soviet system consisted of the continuation of suppression of an impatient younger intelligentsia, largely open to the outside world influence of technology and extremely bitter about their inability for self-expression. After a long period, the Lenin ideology faded away and orthodoxy began to find life (March 2012). Soviet leaders began to perform cultural education and perform rituals but in the hearts of the people it was no more. It had been killed by the previous abuses during early decades. It had also been killed by the Marxist’s ideology that did not even provide any explanations to the Russian people and killed by the cynicism that accompanied war (Lansford 2008). Conclusion Communism in Russian was the communal ownership of material wealth and possessions. Everything was owned by the state. Farmers only got what they needed form their harvest and the rest was taken by the state. All workers earned equally and worked for the state. It was Lenin launched the Marxist socialism to Russia 1917. Marxist had initially stated that communism was the best form of socialism. Russia had its own original culture and education but was reversed during the communist ideology. Russians had now to be educated in the communist ideology forcibly and were expected to pass on the knowledge to others. They were forced to abandon their initial education systems. Children could no longer be taught about religion as religion was viewed as an enemy of the communist regime. Also, children were urged to spy on their parents against any act of religion at homes. The Lenin regime also managed to drive out a large population of the strongest group and Stalin alter eliminated the group that remained. This elimination tampered with the Russian culture as they eliminated the strongest group in culture continuity. The Russian society suffered a lot of consequences from the communist regime. Nevertheless, not all that were accompanied by communism was bad; nor did everybody oppose the communist ideology. Bibliography Henry, L, A, 2009, Redefining Citizenship in Russia, Problems of Post-Communism, 56(6), 51-65. Hosking, G, A 2001, Russia and the Russians: a history, Cambridge, MA, Belknap Press of Harvard University. Kli︠u︡chevskiĭ, V, O, 1960, A history of Russia, New York, NY, Russell & Russell. Lansford, T, 2008, Communism, New York, Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. March, L, 2012, Communism in Russia, An Interpretive Essa, Europe-Asia Studies, 64(7), 1324-1325. Rostow, W, W, 1955, Russia and China Under Communism, World Politics, 7(04), 513-531. Sandle, M, 2006, Communism, Harlow, England, Pearson Longman. Sutela, P, & Shleifer, A, 2007, A Normal Country, Russia after Communism, Slavic Review, 66(2), 379. Trochev, A, 2012, Suing Russia at Home. Problems of Post-Communism, 59(5), 18-34. Ziegler, C. E, 2009, The history of Russia (2nd ed.), Santa Barbara, Calif, Greenwood Press. Read More