“From Default to Interest”: Domestic Anti-War Thought in the Second Half of the 19th – Beginning of the 20th Centuries in Soviet Historiography

Abstract

Introduction. The article considers the trends in the development of Soviet historiography of Russian anti-war thought in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Analysis. The interrelation of the evolution of the views of Soviet researchers on pre-revolutionary pacifism with socio-political changes in the USSR is revealed. The negative assessments of “bourgeois pacifism” expressed by V.I. Lenin had a significant impact on the study of peacekeeping in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Methods and materials. In the existing historiography, only certain aspects of the problem are considered. Among the most important methods and approaches used in writing this work are the historical-systemic and historical-comparative methods. The source base of the study was primarily scientific works, reference and encyclopedic publications, and journalistic materials. Results. The authors propose to single out three stages in the history of the study of Russian anti-war thought in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries in Soviet times. The most distinct features of the first stage (lack of significant research on the topic, harshness, and categorical assessments) emerged in the mid-1920s and were traced until the mid-1950s. Against the background of political changes in the USSR and the growth of public interest in the problem of maintaining peace, there was a serious increase in research interest in the history of Russian anti-war thought. Peacekeeping ideas were considered during this period primarily within the framework of legal, historical, and philosophical studies. The third stage became noticeable at the end of the 1980s, which manifested itself in a significant increase in works on the history of domestic pacifism and its terminological “rehabilitation.” Authors’ contribution. N.Yu. Nikolaev revealed the trends in the development of Soviet historiography of Russian anti-war thought in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. S.P. Ramazanov analyzed methodological approaches and carried out general scientific editing of the article.