Lenin about Sociаl Creativity, Classes, Revolution, and Reforms

Lenin about Sociаl Creativity, Classes, Revolution, and Reforms


Buzgalin A.V.

Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Professor of the Faculty of Economics, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Marxist Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow buzgalin@mail.ru

Kolganov A.I.

Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Prof., Head of the Laboratory on Comparative Studies of Socio-Economic Systems at the Faculty of Economics, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Chief Researcher, Institute of Economy, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia onaglo@mail.ru

ID of the Article:


For citation:

Buzgalin A.V., Kolganov A.I. Lenin about Sociаl Creativity, Classes, Revolution, and Reforms. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2020. No 4. P. 3-14




Abstract

The growing public demand for profound changes in social life makes the issues of nature, causes, driving forces, forms and methods of struggle for change and against them especially acute. These are fundamental problems of social sciences, and addressing them becomes a reason to recall the theoretical legacy of V.I. Ulyanov, updating formal reason for such an appeal – the 150th anniversary of the birth of this thinker. Critically analyzing the legacy of Lenin, the author of the article highlights, firstly, the relevance of the study of material, lying in the field of social production, and economic relations, the foundations of social structuring of society, values, motives and behavior patterns of social groups and people, on the one hand; the role of social actors as creators of history, on the other. At the same time, emphasis is placed on the study of historically specific conditions (stages of development of society) and social contradictions in these interactions. Secondly, the Leninist theory of classes is developing (including the theory of not only inter- but also intra-class contradictions, the historical diffusion of classes, their transformation, etc.), as well as the class struggle in the whole variety of its forms (from class compromises to reforms and revolutions) and types, including the struggle of the bourgeoisie against employed workers. Thirdly, it is shown that a social study of the problem of reforms (counter-reforms) and revolutions (counter-revolutions) in modern conditions is becoming highly urgent, and that the deep eco-socio-humanitarian oriented changes that are in demand today can become a reality only subject to the activation of socialist and communist socio-political actors.


Keywords
methodology and theory of social science; social structure of society; social reforms; revolutions; Marxism; Lenin

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Content No 4, 2020