Abstract

The Soviet experience has attracted increasing interest in Russia and abroad over time. Understanding of this heritage is increasingly shifting from political and journalistic discussions to the plane of socio-philosophical and philosophical-anthropological analysis, which leads to modern socio-cultural practices. An example of such a detailed analysis is the work by S.A. Nikolsky, presented in two books, the contents of which successfully complement each other. The author consistently identifies the conditions for the emergence, formation and transformation of the Soviet experience. The presented multifaceted generalization shows that the Soviet is not an accidental incident of history. This is a phenomenon that has deep roots in Russian culture. It was fueled by the complementarity of violence and submission. This complementarity arose as a result of the historical development of Russia. The attempt to “leap” into socialism turned out to be very appropriate in this situation. It was consolidated by the civil war, collectivization, and the ideology of strengthening the class struggle, supported by repression. Violence fills the initial apophatism with an imperious will. Submission is due to a state of survival, concentration on immediate everyday problems. Together they form an explosive mixture of irresponsibility.