The Study Of The Soviet Marxist Cultural Theory’s Development

This thesis is based on the historical dimension of Marxism culture’s development in Soviet Union, following the development track of the four periods of Soviet Marxism culture extension, tortuous development, revolution, ossification, tranquility and redirection and takes both the long historical river of Russian culture and the Soviet Marxist cultural theory into consideration. This thesis summarize the lessons learned from Soviet Marxism cultural theory with logical argumentation, and providing historical reference for the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics.There are several points that need to be clarified. Firstly, it was with the synergy of multiple social and historical factors that the Soviet Marxism Cultural Theory was gradually formed, developed and improved. Like other theories, its emergence and development are attributed to both the objective factors including the soviet socialist country’s expectations of cultural development together with the spread of Marxism and the subjective conditions such as the masses, the Communist Party of China, leaders and Marxist scholars. Without these, the Soviet Marxism Cultural Theory would be like water without a source and a tree without roots. Secondly, to study the Soviet Marxism Cultural Theory, we should not only make a thorough survey of its development process in historical terms, but also need to make the choice in line with our times from the modern standpoint against the backdrop of socialist reform and the great development and prosperity of socialist culture. Only in this way can we get insights into the inner contradictions that the Soviet Marxism Cultural Theory showed in different historical periods and grasp its deep structure, and then, extract the hidden ideological implication and theoretical essence it contained in span and depth so as to explore the basic principles and development trends of the current socialist cultural development. Thirdly, the development of the Soviet Marxism Cultural Theory is a collection of paradox. Similarly, its process made cultural development of Soviet Union went from prosperity to decline, and indirectly lead to the collapse of Soviet socialism. We should view the Soviet Marxism Cultural Theory in a dialectical way and systematically summarize the lessons of it, and explore the deep-seated reasons for its decline in the course of the organization of historical data, thus to provide reference for the today’s cultural construction and to form new concept and thought for socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics.Propagation and selection is the historical premise for the formation of the Soviet Union Marxism’s cultural theory. The education, national cultural tradition and cultural psychology are extremely unenlightened in Russia before the October Revolution, which seriously hinder the development of the society. With multiple characteristics of the cultural life during this period, the ideological field was full of fierce conflicts and confrontations. With the proletariat making its debut and the propagation of Marxism, people’s spirit and awareness were awakened and democratic and revolutionary emotion were evoked. Soviet socialist practice needed for new cultural theory urgently.Marxist scholars represented by Plekhanov, began to explore Marxism, providing a theoretical condition to enrich and develop Marxist cultural theory; The mature of proletarian revolutionary leader Lenin and his group provided a theoretical condition for the spread of Marxist cultural theory in Russia and the Soviet Union. World outlook and methodology and revolutionary consciousness which included in Marxism gradually instilled into the social consciousness at that time, and began to spread in Russia and the Soviet Union.Lenin, the great proletariat revolutionary teacher, opened up the development of Soviet Marxism Cultural Theory. He combined the universe truth of Marxism with the reality of Russia to illustrate the Russian development path and its basic characteristics. It laid the foundation of Marxism in Russia and inherited and developed the cultural theory of Marxism on this basis. In his view, it is impossible to make Russia step into a complete socialist country and a full realization of the transition to communism without the development of culture. One cannot build communism in a illiterate country. He discussed the nature and characteristics of culture, and defined the proletariat’s attitude to cultural achievements and cultural heritage and pointed out the principles and decisive condition for the development of socialist cultural development, and explained the content and strategic position of cultural construction. Lenin’s cultural theory was not only played a catalytic role in scientific and cultural development and personnel training at that time, but also still has some positive meanings for the modernization of socialist countries.After Lenin’s death, Soviet Marxist cultural theory has experienced its period of tortuous development (1929-1952). Inheriting the thoughts of cultural revolution from Lenin, Stalin demonstrates the goals and targets of it and communicated the Indoctrination Theory and the thoughts about socialist cultural construction, which enriches the Marxism’s cultural theory of Soviet Union. Under the guidance of Lenin and Stalin, the Soviet Union develop the great practice of the construction of socialist culture from 1920s to 1930s and make outstanding cultural achievements. In spite of the splendid results that Stalin led to gain, he made mistakes in distorting cultural theory of Marxism. During that period, the Soviet Union appeared an atmosphere of individual worship, formed the cultural administration with centralization and political trending, cultural field was filled with class struggle and political examinations for intellectuals, the huge treasure and critical campaign could be seen everywhere. All of these resulted in the cultural tyranny with class struggle.Reformation and stagnation is the crucial step for Soviet Marxist moving towards the deterioration (1953-1985).After Stalin’s passing, Khrushchev carried out a set of revolution and cultural transformation in cultural field. The Unfreeze Literature appeared at that time, which unfroze thoughts and made the Soviet Union literature and art flourishing. He focused on the relaxing control over the cultural field, on the other hand, the cultural field could not be managed with a loose rein. This period reserves the past centralized administrative system, eliminating the cult of personality as well as new personality cult arising, suspicious of intellectuals and the one-sidedness and blindness of educational revolution caused many negative influences.After Brezhnev put up with his "developed socialism theory",the cult of personality gradually prevailed all over the country, and cultural work guidelines of CPSU served for this theory.The condition of personality cult became worse during Brezhnev’s in-power period, to service for the developed socialism theory was regarded as the guidelines to the Soviet culture. This action overrated the social condition of the Soviet Union at that time, hided the convictions and problems, hindered the revolution of the socialistic system, and brought about the sinuous construction of socialism.Bourgeois liberalization trend ultimately misguided Marxist cultural theory (1985-1991). After Gorbachev became the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union, facing the complex contradictions and problems accumulated in Soviet socialism development, he transformed the orientation of Marxism in the ideological sphere with the guide of openness and diversity, led the system change into humane and democratic way of socialism. He put something contrary to basic principles of Marxism such as bourgeois humanism as an innovative idea to promote,which made the worldview and sense of worth of people begin to deviated form one side of Marxism. The direction of Soviet Marxist cultural theory completely changed and provided thoughts and culture for the change of the Soviet Union.The rise and fall of the cultural theory of Soviet Marxism is closely related to the policy of the regime. It is evolved circuitously under the interference of politics. The interaction between culture and politics and between culture and economy finally leads to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union once is the first Socialist country in the world while China is now the biggest Socialist country in the world. Undoubtedly, a specific period of the Soviet Union once has the same value pursuit with today’s China. The Eighteen Member’s Congress of CPC made a strategic plan about how to promote socialist cultural power solidly,and the Third Plenary Session of eighteen put forward the idea of deepening the reform of cultural system which make our cultural construction enter a phase of better development opportunities. How to avoid making the same mistakes and how to realize the dream of becoming a cultural power under these circumstances? Summarizing the experience and lessons from the Soviet Union will give us enlightenment ideas for the development of Socialist culture in China; First, we must adhere to the guiding status of Marxism in the ideological field, and grasp the direction of advanced culture; Secondly, we must adhere to the unity of socialist culture and inclusive nature, enhancing our national cultural soft power; Finally, we must adhere to the unity of socialist party and the people’s nature, to promote the comprehensive development of people. At present, China is on the rise as a developing socialist country. Only under the guide of Marxism can advanced socialist culture develop healthily. Brilliant success that Marxism has achieved in current China,and the flourish of Marxist theory research which including the study of the cultural development of Marxism in today’s China convinced us that the Marxism has the strong vitality to grasp the pulse of times and make history.