The “Violet” Spectrum of Russian Emigration

Abstract

The review examines the monograph by P. Bazanov devoted to the political and publishing activities of the “pro-Soviet” organizations of Russian emigration of the first wave: the Smenovekhovtsy, the Mladorossi, the National Maximalists, and other representatives of the post-revolutionary movement who rejected the idea of “activism,” i.e. terrorist and armed struggle against Soviet Russia. The analysis focuses on the views and activities of the emigrant movements that went beyond the pre-revolutionary party framework and political concepts and managed to creatively approach the understanding of the Bolshevik revolution and the new era in the life of our country. Special attention in the review is paid to the emergence of the terms “violet” and “ultraviolet,” the problem of the appearance of the slogan “The Tsar and the Soviets,” and biographical facts of the prominent figures of the post-revolutionary movement.

Keywords

• p.n. bazanov
• “the tsar and the soviets”
• the smenovekhovtsy
• the mladorossi
• post-revolutionaries
• russian emigration
• “the violet”
• “the ultraviolet”