Petr Bernhardovich Struve: biography, ideas, contribution to sociology

Petr Bernhardovich Struve (1870-1944) - one of the most prominent Russian public and political figures. His sphere of interest included economics, journalism, history and philosophy.

Petr Bernhardovich Struve: a short biography

Born into the family of Bernhard Struve, who was governor of Perm, Peter received an excellent education.

His first school was a gymnasium in St. Petersburg. After the young man decided to leave his parents' house and settle in the house of AM Kalmykova, who replaced his mother, he entered a university in the same city. At first, Peter attended the natural faculty, then (one year later) went to law school.

His fascination with Marxist theories was so strong that it resulted in the organization of a thematic circle. At the University, Peter Bernhardovich Struve studied until 1894, during which time he managed to visit Austria, where his teacher of sociology was L. Gumplowicz. It was here that Peter decided to become an economist.

The beginning of journalistic activity

The first articles written and published by Peter Bernhardovich Struve were published in one of the German Social-Democratic newspapers during his stay in Austria.

Summarizing the work of Struve as a publicist, it can be divided into two successive stages:

1. Pre-revolutionary. Correspondence, articles and essays written before 1907 were part of the process of studying and criticizing Marx's theories. They also reflect the evolution of Peter's ideas in the field of economics and sociology.
2. Post-revolutionary. The activities of Struve during this period consisted in combating the goal of preserving the unity of Russia. There is also a criticism aimed at revolutionary maximalism.

In general, the journalistic works of this figure represent a large-scale work that sets out and analyzes the internal processes that took place in the Russian society of that time, from the point of view of sociology.

Struve's political views and their evolution

Being an ardent admirer of Marxism in youth, Struve Peter Bernhardovich, after the revolutionary events of 1907, took the position of conservative liberalism. The process of his political transformation is unparalleled, but his works in economics, sociology, philology and philosophy served as a counterbalance to Peter's political qualities. Speaking of himself, Pyotr Bernhardovich Struve noted that his place can not be determined by an orientation toward party-political meridians.

Because of political convictions and active social activities, Lenin gave Struve an extremely negative assessment that influenced his reputation for many years. In Soviet times, the mention of the merits of the figure in social science was exclusively in a negative light, and the work was not published. The situation has changed in the last years of the existence of the Soviet Union, and today its full development and grandiose contribution to the intellectual and political heritage of our country can be fully covered.

From Marxism to the liberal movement

In ideological searches, Marxist views are replaced by philosophical idealism and liberal conservatism, which Peter St Bernard Bernhardovich began to defend. The biography of the figure includes a lot of famous names that help him in denouncing the Russian regime. To this end, in 1900 the publishing house "Contemporary Review" was organized. Its main task was the publication of various documents that could compromise the current regime.

After participating in a mass demonstration, Peter was exiled, he had to leave for Tver. Using the finances of the publisher DE Zhukovsky, who was his admirer, Struve was able to organize the release of the magazine Osvobozhdenie in Germany. To get permission to leave, the journalist turned for help to influential acquaintances.

However, the link could not prevent the writing of literary works to substantiate the philosophical foundations of liberal politics. Return to their homeland occurred only after five years, when with the help of one of the fans, under the amnesty of political charges Struve Peter Bernhardovich was released. The biography of a philosopher and journalist for the next ten years of his life describes his activities at the Polytechnic Institute of St. Petersburg. Being originally a teacher, assistant professor and an extraordinary professor, he eventually became the head of the department of political economy.

During this period, the main economic work of Peter ("Economy and Price") was written, various volumes of which became his master's and doctoral thesis.

The struggle against Bolshevism

The Bolshevik coup caused Struve an extremely negative attitude. Quite soon, a few months after these events, Peter Bernhardovich Struve and GN Trubetskoi went to the Don. By that time, they were both members of the Right Center (illegal organization). The activist actively participated in the formation of the Volunteer Army. There, Peter became an elected member of the Don Civil Council, which acted as a political meeting and acted under General Alekseev.

After the army was forced to perform in the so-called Ice campaign, Struve secretly arrived in the capital. He had to live more than half a year in the status of an illegal immigrant. During this period, Peter took part in the process of creating one of the most powerful underground anti-Bolshevik organizations, called the "National Center". The place of his work was the Moscow branch of this association.

The unfolding red terror, provoked by the attempt on Lenin, forced the figure to leave the capital. His hideout was the estate of Alyatino in the Vologda province.

Activities in Europe

Later, after traveling through the northern Russian lands, Struve managed to leave for Finland. Here he and A. V. Kartashov (another member of the center) met with General N. N. Yudenich and held negotiations concerning the organization of joint activities. Thanks to the well-organized and skilful work of members of the anti-Bolshevik group, Yudenich headed the military-political center in Finland.

Peter the Great received the "Committee for the Liberation of Russia". This organization was founded in 1919 and dealt with the issues of the revival of Russia, as well as raising its prestige among other states. The committee's activities consisted in the daily publication of printed bulletins illustrating the actual events in Russia. The establishment of ties with Admiral AV Kolchak and his government contributed to the allocation of subsidies for the "National Center".

Struve also acted no less actively, staying in France: he worked with the participants of the "Russian political meeting."

For his work, the philosopher and publicist was sentenced to death by a court of the RSFSR. Despite this fact, Peter continues his cooperation with white generals, as well as active publicistic activity.

Peter Struve died in Paris in 1944, where he lived with his family since 1942.

The philosopher's views on political theory

Struve was the representative of the so-called legal Marxism in Russia. This term is used to refer to the social flow, which, from a theoretical and ideological point of view, recognizes the rightness of Karl Marx with his economic doctrine of the historical inevitability of the capitalist system.

The activist recognized the capitalist path of economic development as a possible basis for Russia's economic prosperity. The effective introduction of social reforms and the cultivation of conditions in which an individual could develop, these are the important factors that Struve distinguished Peter Bernhardovich. The ideas of this figure also concerned the principles of the organization of a bourgeois state. He Struve took on an extremely important role, calling the "organizer of the order", which is capable of eliminating conflict situations of a social nature, as well as regulating the life of society economically and politically.

Innovation of Peter Struve

Struve's methodology rejected three main components that existed in the ideology of political economy :

• Labor theory of value.
• The theory of marginal utility.
• Historical school.

This figure was one of the first to apply and develop the foundations of the system method, with the help of which he constructed categories of political economy. They were offered a three-level system of relations:

• Household.
• Inter-farm.
• Socio-productive.

He also claims that reforms should not be in conflict with the living traditions of the people and their cultural values. They should rely on this foundation.

Petr Bernhardovich Struve: contribution to sociology

It is worth mentioning the socio-economic system described by the philosopher. It is based on such concepts as "price", "economic good", "money" and "value." The peculiarity of the system is that the category "price" is given the status of the base. It is designed to build the entire socio-economic reality. Struve also designed this category as the foundation for any socioeconomic write-off, while Marx used the theory of surplus value for this purpose .

The rationale for the need for a "conservative revolution" for Russia is one of the main ideas that Peter Bernhardovich Struve developed. Sociology, taught in modern universities, is studying the theory of democratization of the society of Russia, proposed by the figure. In his opinion, she demanded the following resources:

• Personal resource.
• The diagnostic component.
• Intensive component.
• Subject resource.
• Cultural and historical resource.
• Functional resource.

The Importance of Struve's Activity for the Development of the Theory of Culture

His contribution to this field was made through the application of semantic analysis, using literary texts. His idols were N. Leskov, N. Gogol, F. Dostoevsky and other outstanding writers. In addition, Struve underwent a close study of Pushkin's work and activity, calling it the ideal of personality in the socio-political aspect of life.
The philosopher professed the principle of recognition of the protection of individual freedoms, and also maintained a stable state order and a firm government. He argued that a man of Russian culture is a link and a means that unites a decaying state and a rallying nation. Culture for him has its own meaning: the use of their creative-unifying possibilities. Struve believed that all spheres (labor, political, national relations) should be permeated with culture.

Literary heritage

One of the most significant literary works, created by Peter Bernhardovich Struve - "The Intelligentsia and the Revolution" (1909). In fact, this work is an article included in the collection "Milestones".

Struve's collection, which included his reviews of all the significant political and cultural events taking place in Russia and other countries, was published in 2004 and was called The Diary of Politics.