Gems of Narodnik Project Mongering
Introduction
In this essay, written by Lenin, in 1897, and first published in Economic Studies and Essays (1898), he looks again at the the practice and policies of the Narodniks. Marx and Engels, in The Communist Manifesto, had warned against the danger of socialists who proposed various schemas of how a transition to Socialism might be brought about. Such schemas, the result of idealism and subjectivism, are anathema to a materialist, who starts from how the world is, rather than how they think it ought to be, according to some preconceived moral code. The materialist bases themselves on the existing material conditions, and the inevitable historical and social development that flows from them, as a result of natural and social laws, such as The Law of Value.
The Narodniks, as idealists and subjectivists, however, like Sismondi before them, started from a moral objection to the evils of capitalism, and, likewise, saw Socialism in terms of being a moral quest to avoid those evils and create an alternative path of development, more to their liking. They did so whether these goals were, in fact, achievable or not, given the actual material conditions, and operation of natural and social laws. Indeed, as Lenin shows, they were led to distort the actual material conditions, in order to justify their ideas, and proposals. There is no shortage of such moral socialists, today, including many who call themselves Marxist. But, as Lenin has shown in all of the writings I have discussed in this series, whatever the good intentions any of these individuals might have, the reality of their “socialism” amounts to nothing more than liberalism.
At best, it amounts to a conservative defence of capitalism/imperialism, and at worst it amounts to a reactionary attempt to turn the clock backwards to more primitive forms of capitalism/commodity production, as advocates of the interests of the petty-bourgeoisie.
Section I
Lenin's essay was written in response to a book by S.N. Yuzhakov - Educational Problems. Journalistic Essays.–Secondary School Reform.–Systems And Aims Of Higher Education.–Gymnasium Textbooks.–The Problem of Universal Education.–Women And Education – comprising a collection of his articles from the Narodnik journal, Russkoye Bogatsvo, between 1895-7.
In the Preface to Yuzhakov's book, he says that it is to consider the most important educational problems, “chiefly on problems of principle”. However, Lenin notes, the book, besides covering too wide an area, in reality, does not deal with education but only with schools, “and only of the secondary and higher schools at that.” (p 461)
Lenin says that he intends to deal with just two articles in the book on the reform in secondary education, and on universal education, “for these articles really do touch upon problems of principle and are very typical for an explanation of the favourite ideas of Russkoye Bogatstvo.” (p 461)
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