Marxist Sociology (Publication and Commentary by Zolotarjov V.P.)

Abstract

Kareev N.I. (1850 - 1931) is one of the most remarkable figures in Russian sociology widely well-known not only in Russia but far away from its boundaries. Today we should state that he has been forgotten during the soviet period. Born in Moscow in nobleman's family he finished gymnasium with excellent degree and entered Moscow State University .He took courses with well-known professors in Russian history as M.S Kutorge, V.I. Gerie, S.M. Soloviev. In 1877-1878 he visited Paris where he conducted his famous research 'Peasant and peasant question in the last quarter of the f 8th century’. He also is an author of great variety of works on different historical themes including 'History of Western Europe of New Time' (1892-1917), 'History of French Revolution' (1924-1925 ). After coming back to Russia Kareev taught different disciplines at St Petersburg University but very soon he got his discharge for the serious linkages with student movement. He returned to the University only after 1905. With a group of political activists he tried to prevent tragic events of the 9th of January, l905. Kareev was a member of Constitutional-Democratic party having started his political career in the first State Duma. After 1906 he gradually left political arena and devoted himself only to scientific work. Kareev's sociological theory has been mainly formed in the first half of 80-s of 19 century. He believed in it all his life. His theoretical findings were shown in his dissertation published in 1883. 'Nature of historical process and role of personality in historical development ' (1889) became a consequent continuation of his dissertation which he himself considered as his best work. Kareev published a number of his sociological findings in 'Historical Philosophical Etudes' (1895), 'Introduction to Sociology' (1897), 'General Principles of Sociology' (1919), 'Fundamental Principles of Russian Sociology' (1930) (the latter is still unpublished). Kareev's sociological conception to a high degree emerged on the basis of traditional (in particular Conte's and Spenser's) sociological approaches and he gradually evolved their assumptions. His works bore deep influence from the French school of sociology, he was impressed by the early positivism. But he was too much occupied with details to appreciate or represent the idea that came to form a subjective approach in sociology. Kareev criticized Conte for his 'jump' from biology to psychology and sociology. He replaced Conte's individual psychology by the collective one. He also has foreseen many ideas of the direct Kant's followers as Vindelband, Rickert.Zimmel. In fact he created a school of subjective approach in Russian sociology. He began to study a broad range of human social life and developed a subjective historical method for collecting and analyzing of social facts. According to Kareev's point of view a society is an agglomeration of economical, political and judicial factors; but the crucial factor is intellectual (or spiritual) culture. In the effort to understand relationships between individuals and society sociologists should study the intersections of history, politics, economics, psychology focusing on the ways by which social forces shape individual and group behavior. Kareev found himself confronting with immensely expanding and increasingly restive marxist theory. His scientific transformation occurred in the context of the Russian revolutions of economical cycles of inflation and depression and of a threat to social order from revolutionary ideologies. He escaped political repressions followed after the revolution of 1917. We suggest a unit 'Marxist Sociology' as a part of 'Fundamental Principles of Russian Sociology', the last Kareev's work finished in the end of 20s. ‘Marxist Sociology ' is a critical review of marxist theory and an attempt to represent main ideas of Russian marxist sociologists without ' anger and prejudices'. Kareev showed differences between marxist, positivist ci.e. objective) and subjective approaches in their interpretation of (1) how historical process occurs, and (2) what is the historical role of personality in producing of social change. Classical positivism ignores emotional and moral aspects of social behavior, one must study individuals in terms of their social context - the idea of social forces determining individual behavior. The basic principal of sociology: how individuals live together in groups, by studying them scientifically Kareev presented the material with references to Conte's, Durkheim's and Spenser's conceptions. Positivists believed that it was possible to study social reality systematically and objectively just as other scientists studied organisms, mind, the Earth and stars. Subjective approach concerned with individuals' own perception of their position in social structure. It's based on a personal feeling of affiliation to a given group. Individuals identify with other people, their beliefs, share similar positions, deal with personal awareness of their positions. Sociologist should observe not only material facts of people's life but all the lime keep in mind economical, political and specific psychological facts which arc as real as the material ones. During the beginning of the 20-ih century in particular - after the Revolution of 1917 marxist sociological approach (in Lenin's interpretation) had a significant influence on social policy in Russia. Marxists put emphasize that what social relation between humans were determined by struggle between classes. In particular a ruling class (which position is due to the ownership of and control on means of production) controls also though often in subtle ways the whole moral and intellectual life of people. That's why Kareev calls attention to the sharp paralysis of intellectual and spiritual life and a deep crisis of culture. According to marxist theory law and governments, art and literature, science and philosophy serve more or less directly the interests of a ruling class. Marxist are considered as economical determinists because they have been sure that social classes is a result of unequal access to means of production. Class consciousness refers not only to people's perception of distinct class levels and shared interests based on common situation , it also refers to a heightened commitment and perception of class which usually leads class members to interact and to join efforts for realizing collective goals. That is why individual role in the historical movement is greatly neglected. Kareev presented detailed analysis of the positions of a new generation of marxist - of so called legal marxists. He emphasized the role in that strategy development of N.A. Rozhkov, M.N. Pokrovsky, N.A. Andrcev, F.V. Sulkov under the soviet lime. He polemized with Lenin and Plekhanov as with the most notable figures of post-Marx period in Russia. Author made clear the differences between scientific position of (1) legal marxists, (2) independent historians as Kluchevsky, Vinogradov, Vipper, Petrushevsky, Tafle and (3) those new marxists who systematized marxist theory in a new way (Bukharin, Rasumovsky, Oransky), Kareev supported an idea about two types of social evolution suggested by Conte and Spenser in sociology: 1) Spontaneous self-development 2) Creative development (A. Bergson) He underlined that sociology has lo be positive science studying definite categories of phenomena in social reality without any metaphysics. We hope that the names like Kareev whenever again will come back to our historical memory and will be with us as one of the most important part of our Past. We suppose to continue publications of the less-known and unknown authors significantly contributed to our Russian culture.