Revolution and Culture: The Bogdanov-Lenin Controversy

by Zenovia A. Sochor

Overview

Zenovia A. Sochor here assesses one of the most important debates within the Bolshevik leadership during the early years of Soviet power-that between A. A. Bogdanov and V. I. Lenin. Once comrades-in-arms, Bogdanov and Lenin became political rivals prior to the October Revolution. Their disagreements over political and cultural issues led to a split in the Bolshevik Party, with Bogdanov spearheading the party's left-wing faction and attracting a following of notable intellectuals. Before Lenin died in 1924, however, he had succeeded in shaping Soviet society according to his own vision, and today Bolshevism is commonly identified with Leninism while Bogdanovism is little known. Sochor provides the first full exposition in English of Bogdanov's views, which, she asserts, must be understood to appreciate the choices available and the paths not taken during the formative years of the Soviet regime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801420887
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	03/28/1988
Series:	Studies in Soviet History and Society
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Zenovia A. Sochor is Associate Professor of Government at Clark University and Research Fellow at the Russian Research Center, Harvard University.

What People are Saying About This

Robert C. Williams

Sochor here provides the most complete account in English of the theoretical rivalry between Lenin and Bogdanov for control of Bolshevism after 1917. Her book is a significant addition to the literature on Soviet politics in the revolutionary period.

Rolf Theen

This book not only sheds a great deal of light on the troubled relationship between Lenin and Bogdanov but also makes an important contribution to the debate over the role of culture in revolutionary change.

Editorial Reviews

"This book not only sheds a great deal of light on the troubled relationship between Lenin and Bogdanov but also makes an important contribution to the debate over the role of culture in revolutionary change."

Rolf Theen

"Sochor here provides the most complete account in English of the theoretical rivalry between Lenin and Bogdanov for control of Bolshevism after 1917. Her book is a significant addition to the literature on Soviet politics in the revolutionary period."

Robert C. Williams