Abstract ♦ This article is an attempt at socio-philosophical interpretation of the contradictions of the Soviet state as a state of transitional society.
The article draws both on earlier ideas of Karl Marx on the phased withdrawal of private ownership relations, and on the later theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat. We also take into account the views of contemporary Russian researchers who consider the Soviet society as an uncompleted transition from capitalism to socialism.
This transition is understood as a process comprising two major stages. The first stage includes the elimination of the previously privileged classes (landlords and capitalists) and the establishment of a formal communalization (as reflected in nationalization of the economy and the collectivization of agriculture). At the second stage of the transition, de-facto socialization happens, which means the establishment of socialist relations. We hold that the Soviet society only managed to cope with the first stage, having failed to solve all the problems of the second.
The author examines the ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin about the development of the socialist state and compares them against the real 20th century Soviet experience. This led to a conclusion that the Soviet state as a society with an incomplete transition was initially forced not only to start the direct construction of socialist relations, but also to accomplish tasks not permitted under the previous socio-economic system.
Viewing the contradictions of the Soviet state as stemming from its nature as the state of transitional society helps us better understand the Soviet experiment and the reasons for its failure in the late 20th century.
Keywords: state, Soviet state, Soviet society, dictatorship of the proletariat, Communist formation, bureaucracy, transitional period, formal communalization, socialism.
Osin Roman Sergeyevich, Lecturer, College of Moscow University for the Humanities; Postgraduate, Department of Philosophy, Culturology and Politology, Moscow University for the Humanities. Postal address: Bldg 3, 5 Yunosti St., Moscow, Russian Federation, 111395. Tel: +7 (499) 374-55-11. E-mail: . Research advisor: Doctor of Philosophy R. I. Kosolapov.
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