How did Marxist view the Russian society before the 1917
Before the 1917 Russian Revolution, Marxists viewed Russian society as deeply divided between the ruling classes and the working classes. They saw it as a feudal society with a repressive autocracy and an oppressive capitalist system.
Marxists believed that the ruling class, which consisted of the monarchy, aristocracy, and bourgeoisie, controlled the means of production and exploited the working class. The majority of the population, the proletariat, was subjected to poor working conditions, low wages, and lacked basic rights and social mobility.
Marxists viewed the Tsarist autocracy as a repressive and exploitative regime that protected the interests of the ruling elite. They believed that the monarchy's reliance on oppressive methods of control, censorship, and state-sponsored violence perpetuated inequality and prevented social progress.
Additionally, Marxists criticized the Russian capitalist system for its reliance on foreign capital and the exploitation of natural resources to benefit the ruling classes. They argued that this system prioritized the interests of the bourgeoisie over the needs of the working class, leading to widespread poverty and social unrest.
Overall, Marxists viewed Russian society as deeply unjust and in need of a revolution to overthrow the ruling classes and establish a socialist system where the means of production were collectively owned and controlled by the working class. The 1917 Revolution, led by the Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin, was seen as the culmination of this Marxist perspective.
Marxists, particularly Lenin and the Bolshevik Party, viewed Russian society before the 1917 revolution as one characterized by extreme inequality, exploitation, and oppression. They identified Russia as a semi-feudal society with a dominant peasant population and a small ruling class comprising the nobility, landlords, and bourgeoisie.
Marxists argued that the majority of Russians, particularly the peasantry, were living in deplorable conditions and faced immense economic hardships. Peasants were tied to the land and subjected to feudal obligations, such as paying rent and taxes to the landlords. Additionally, they lacked access to education, healthcare, and other basic social services.
Furthermore, Marxists believed that the industrial working class in Russia, while small in numbers compared to the peasantry, was growing rapidly. The working class endured long work hours, hazardous conditions, low wages, and lacked job security. The capitalist class, mostly represented by industrialists and bourgeoisie, controlled the means of production and amassed immense wealth at the expense of the workers.
Marxists saw the Tsarist autocracy as a repressive regime that served the interests of the ruling elites, while suppressing dissent and denying basic civil liberties. They argued that the Tsarist government maintained its power through a combination of force, censorship, and propaganda, effectively stifling any opposition to the existing social order.
Overall, Marxists viewed Russian society before 1917 as a deeply unequal and oppressive system that required a revolutionary transformation to establish a socialist society based on principles of equality, justice, and workers' control of the means of production.