Dear colleagues,
The Plekhanov House, the National Library of Russia department, has pleasure to announce the XIV-th Plekhanov Conference on “…We Are Forced to Admit a Fundamental Change of Our Perception of Socialism”: The Soviet Russia in 1921-1927» to be held on 30.05 - 01. 06. 2020[1].
The conference is being organized in cooperation with The Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and The Sector for Philosophical Problems of Policy of The Institute of Philosophy of The Russian Academy of Sciences.
“For our part, we must expose the old world to the full light of day and shape the new one in a positive way. The longer the time that events allow to thinking humanity for taking stock of its position, and to suffering mankind for mobilizing its forces, the more perfect on entering the world will be the product that the present time bears in its womb".
К. Marx
"…the economic structure of a society determines its political organization and moral shape of the human being".
G.V.Plekhanov
The result of the Civil war of 1918-1921confirmed the truth of the Russian Bolshevik Party 's stated goals for the socialist transformation of the society, meanwhile demonstrating the impossibility of directive, authoritative implementation of the forms and methods of the state reconstruction, practiced by the Bolshevik party within the period.
This search for forms of the State construction was carried out in a difficult economic, internal and foreign political climate for the country, aggravated by the inner-party discussions on ways and methods of implementing the tasks set, some of which had to be revised and altered in accordance with changing conditions within the State and abroad throughout the specified period.
Clarification of this period of history, when almost simultaneously with the Soviet Russia a number of countries attempted to "storm capitalism," critical analysis of theoretical searches and practices, undertaken by the Bolshevik party to solve practical tasks to transform the country and turn it into the world politics subject becomes of a particular importance today, when at the new stage of globalization we are witnessing the worldwide collapse of the social state model, resulting from series of economic crises of 1970-1980-ies, the USSR destruction, and the world financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009, which in their turn summoned to appear radical changes in geopolitics and the states’ system of social priorities, tending to unemployment increase, and funding for science, culture, education and health care on the decrease.
The hodiernal situation in the spheres mentioned requires of scholars, political parties and civil society in general organized efforts in order to redirect social development for the benefit of the working majority, and Marxism having retained its undiminished authority as a socio-political theory is able to provide adequate solutions to existing and arising problems.
We invite contributions from historians, social and political scholars, academic and educational institutions, as well as social and political activists on the subjects mentioned but not limited to. By tradition on the eve of the event a “Book of Abstracts” will be published. Proposals (are due by 1st February, 2020), (notifications of acceptance - by 1 March, 2020), and submissions (~ 18 000 symbols including gaps, a resume and final references, New Roman Style, 12-point type, one-and-a-half line spacing) - by 10 April, 2020), please address to
Dr. Tatiana I. Filimonova
Plekhanov House, The NLR
Tеl./Fax: 7(812) 316 7411
E-mail: domplekh@nlr.ru
[1] The cycle of scientific meetings, united by the title "Socialism as a goal is a complete denial of modern society. Socialism as a movement is a strive, a practical approach to this goal" (George Plekhanov), are planned by the Plekhanov House for holding in 2020-2024. The cycle comprises three conferences aiming to analyze, on the basis of actual historical and cultural landscape, the history of the Soviet society (1921-1991) spanning three periods and extended to the system of countries of socialist cooperation which lasted from 1945 to 1991:
1. "We “…We Are Forced to Admit a Fundamental Change of Our Perception of Socialism”: The Soviet Russia in 1921-1927. May 30 – June 1, 2020
2. "Soviet Union in the geopolitical situation of 1927-1941: problems, goals and results in the field of internal and foreign policy construction of the state." May 30 - June 1, 2022
3. The “Countries of Socialist Cooperation in 1945-1991... : "The Commune Would be destructed ... ", or "the Struggle... Is Postponed"? May 30 - June 1, 2024