International Communist Movement Salon Bulletin 2023 Issue 1: The Establishment of the Russian Proletarian Party and the Victory of the October Revolution
On the afternoon of February 9, 2023, the Department of International Communist Movement Studies of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) held its first academic salon of 2023. Assistant Researcher Wang You, from the Office of the History of the International Communist Movement, delivered a presentation titled "The Establishment of the Russian Proletarian Party and the Victory of the October Revolution." The meeting was chaired by Professor Pan Jine, Director of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies, and attended by all department personnel for study and discussion.
Director Pan Jine first introduced the background and vision for hosting this academic salon. The International Communist Movement Academic Salon is an academic activity held irregularly by the department since 2018; over the past few years, these activities have achieved excellent results in cultivating disciplinary talent. This first salon of 2023 marks the beginning of the "Foundation Strengthening Project" [1] for the construction of the International Communist Movement research discipline. Director Pan pointed out that the "Foundation Strengthening Project" is a consensus reached after discussion by the Department’s Party Branch [2]. The term "strengthening the foundation" (qiangji) refers to "strengthening the base and consolidating the roots." On one hand, the department must use the high-quality completion of several major ongoing research projects as a "grasp" [3]. These include: Research on New Developments in Global Socialist Trends and Movements, The Mirror of the History of the International Communist Movement, The History of the Development of Marxism in Socialist Countries Abroad, The Academic History of International Communist Movement and World Socialism Research, and Five Hundred Years of the 'Two Isms' [4]. The aim is to both track and grasp the dynamic practical developments and the cutting edge of academic research in the international communist movement, while simultaneously bridging the history and reality of the field. On the other hand, the department aims to achieve mutual growth for teachers and students through collective lesson preparation [5] and the teaching of professional courses—including The History of the International Communist Movement, The History, Theory, and Practice of World Socialism, and Special Topics in Marxist International Political Theory and World Party Diplomacy—and through the compilation of the self-selected textbook Theory and Practice of Reform in World Socialist Countries, a project established by the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The objective is to consolidate the basic theory of the discipline, temper the team, and cultivate talent, thereby driving the overall development of the discipline and realizing the expansion of the International Communist Movement field through the continuous process of "strengthening the foundation."
(Director Pan Jine presiding over the meeting) (Scene of the academic salon) (Vivid and detailed explanation)
As a vital chapter of the History of the International Communist Movement course, the section "The Establishment of the Russian Proletarian Party and the Victory of the October Revolution" is planned to be taught by Assistant Researcher Wang You. This academic salon served as a trial lecture, allowing the department faculty to collectively discuss the teaching content and methods and propose suggestions for improvement. This method of collective lesson preparation not only helps refine teaching but also assists each researcher in deepening and expanding their understanding of the discipline’s foundational knowledge.
Wang You has long been engaged in research on the history of the Russian Revolution and the history of the Russian socialist movement. In this report, he began with the Decembrist uprising of 1825, reviewing the history of the struggles against the Tsarist system waged by Russian aristocratic revolutionaries, the "commoner-intellectuals" (raznochintsy) [6] of the 1860s, and the Narodnik [7] revolutionaries prior to the introduction of Marxism into Russia. Subsequently, using Plekhanov, the "father of Russian Marxism," and the Emancipation of Labor group as a lead-in, he introduced the revolutionary activities of the proletarian leader Lenin. With Lenin as the central figure, he provided a detailed analysis of the intricate struggles (primarily the polemics between the Bolshevik and Menshevik factions) and interpersonal relationships within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party at that time. He introduced the lives of key figures such as Martov, Dan, Chkheidze, Tsereteli, Kerensky, and Kornilov, and evaluated their historical merits and failures. In the latter half of the report, he summarized the content of Lenin's most important work, The State and Revolution, and then focused on the process of the October Armed Uprising in Petrograd, explaining the decision-making process, preliminary preparations, specific actions, and historical significance of the uprising.
Wang You’s lecture was rich in content, supported by detailed historical materials, and delivered in a lively and innovative form that won rounds of applause. In view of the specific nature of the audience, some teachers also offered concrete suggestions for improving the lecture notes. All members of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies engaged in a heated discussion on the content of the report; the consensus was that this exchange deepened the understanding of the history of the international communist movement, especially Soviet history, and was highly beneficial.
(Contributor: Wang You, Department of International Communist Movement Studies)