«Страсти по Октябрю»: реакция российского демократического социализма на большевистский переворот

Abstract

General trends in world politics, both past and present, can serve as proof of the relevance of this article: in States with unstable socio–political structure, lack of stable democratic principles and traditions, lack of legitimacy of power, there is always a high risk of a systemic upheaval, usually associated with social destruction, human disasters, and even victims. The ability to anticipate and prevent such systemic disasters, to ensure the reliability of the state body — an art that should be mastered by political elites. The failed experience of the democratic Republic in Russia during the brief period from February to October 1917 is a clear confirmation of this. The purpose of the study is to provide a succinct illustration of the reaction to the Bolshevik revolution of the parties of democratic socialism (social revolutionaries, people's socialists, and Mensheviks), whose leaders were widely represented in state and local government bodies, as well as to identify the General and special in their attitude to the October revolution and its actors. The article collects and comments on the first and most prompt responses of the leaders of the Russian parties of democratic socialism to the event of October 25, 1917. It is shown that the activists of the democratic forces reacted to it unambiguously negatively, explaining the success of the Bolsheviks as unscrupulousness and passion to rule, the ability to manipulate the moods of the illiterate masses, and their own failure, in addition to the objective factors of war and social anomie, as inconsistency and short – sightedness, political reflection and lack of managerial experience on a national scale. It is concluded that, with the popular approval of the February revolution's beginnings and the popularity of a number of its leaders, in General, the state power, having become legal, did not acquire the necessary degree of legitimacy to enlist the support of the masses to successfully resist its invaders.