Istoki i smysi russkogo kommunizma
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Book Overview
Nicolas Berdyaev's The Origin of Russian Communism is a pivotal work that delves into the dual nature of Russian Communism--both international and distinctly Russian. Berdyaev emphasizes the importance of understanding the national roots of Russian Communism, shaped by Russia's tumultuous history and Eastern spiritual makeup. The book navigates through the formation of the Russian intelligentsia, Russian socialism and nihilism, narodnichestvo and anarchism, and 19th-century literature's predictions. Key sections of the work explore the dynamics between classical Marxism, Russian Marxism, and the revolution, as well as the intricate relationship between communism and Christianity. Through an in-depth analysis, Berdyaev illustrates how Russian history, characterized by its vast territory and cultural complexities, influenced the development of a unique form of communism intertwined with ideological, religious, and nationalistic elements.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0472060341
ISBN13:9780472060344
Release Date:September 1959
Publisher:University of Michigan Press
Length:192 Pages
Weight:0.51 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Historical insight
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
I would suggest that R.M. French's translation is not so much dry as a close translation of the Russian. In this I keep in mind the indeterminancy of translation (Quine) and that "Understanding a sentence means understanding a language." (Wittgenstein) This is a period piece and reading it, even in translation, is entering into the mind of a person living in another cultural world. What feels dry is really a "mind-shift" -- even in the structure of the English. Notice even the structure of the sentences feels more Russian than English: (p. 7) "Already in the fourteenth century there existed" follows precisely the word order in the Russian.Beyond this the main issue concerns the purpose of reading Berdyaev. It seems to me that this is a history of philosophy exercise. However, I am aware that many contemporary Russians consider him to be their favorite philosopher. It certainly would take reading him to find out why and doing this should give us some insights into the hopes and dreams of many of our contemporary Russian friends.
Crucial to understanding Russian culture
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
This book, although very hard to read is very detailed and indepth. I would read Berdyaev in conjunction with other writers of Russian cultural history such as Richmond and Vassilieva. Then if you need more indepth research or understanding of a particular cultural characteristic then I would go back to Beryaev and really dissect it.
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