The October Revolution in prospect and retrospect : interventions in Russian and Soviet history / / by John Eric Marot.

• Superior document: Historical materialism book series, v. 37
• Author: Marot, John Eric, 1953-
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Language: English
• Series: Historical materialism book series ; 37.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (283 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In a series of probing analytical essays, John Marot tracks the development of Bolshevism through the prism of pre-1917 intra-Russian Social Democratic controversies in politics and philosophy. For 1917, the author presents a critique of social historical interpretation of the Russian Revolution. Turning to NEP Russia, the author applies Robert Brenner's analysis of pre-capitalist modes of production and concludes that neither Bukharin nor Trotsky's NEP-premised programs of economic transformation and advance toward socialism were feasible. At the same time, he rejects the view that Stalinism was pre-destined to supplant NEP. Instead, he hypothesises that the superior alternative to Stalinism was NEP without collectivization and the Five-Year Plans — a outcome that would have been possible had Bukharin and Trotsky joined forces to stop Stalin.

Table of Contents

The peasant-question and the origins of Stalinism: rethinking the destruction of the October Revolution -- Trotsky, the left opposition and the rise of Stalinism: theory and practice -- Class-conflict, political competition and social transformation: critical perspectives on the social history of the Russian revolution -- Political leadership and working-class agency in the Russian revolution: reply to William G. Rosenberg and S.A. Smith -- A 'postmodern' approach to the Russian revolution?: comment on Ronald Suny -- Alexander Bogdanov, Vpered, and the role of the intellectual in the workers' movement -- The Bogdanov issue: reply to Andrzej Walicki, Aileen Kelly and Zenovia Sochor -- Marxism, science, materialism: toward a deeper appreciation of the 1908-1909 philosophical debate in Russian social democracy -- Politics and philosophy in Russian social democracy: Alexander Bogdanov and the socio-theoretical foundations of Vpered.