The Charisma of World Revolution: Revolutionary Internationalism in Early Soviet Society, 1917–1927

Historical Materialism #272

by Gleb J. Albert, Zachary King (Translator)

That the idea of world revolution was crucial for the Bolshevik leaders in the years following the 1917 revolution is a well-known fact. But what did the party's rank and file make of it? How did it resonate with the general population? And what can a social history of international solidarity tell us about the transformation of Soviet society from NEP to Stalinism? The Charism of World Revolution undertakes the first in-depth analysis of the discourses and practices of internationalism in early Soviet society during the years of revolution, civil war and NEP, using forgotten archival materials and contemporary sources. What emerges is a well rounded and inspiring portrait that will help today's readers concretize what internationalism in an era of global struggle looked like.

Genres: Nonfiction

585 pages, Paperback

Published January 23, 2024

Reviews

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshing historic study of early soviet internationalism, especially how it worked in practice. nice to read something that is detailed and doesn't automatically confer domineering intent to soviet internationalism. especially enjoyed the framework of 'windows of opportunity' - really useful for tracking the evolution of internationalism across the decade, i'd like to do that.

would have liked to see closer interrogation of why internationalism mattered on such a wide scale, and why people were committed to it. the 'charisma' argument just doesn't make the case strongly enough.

[Nico Cornejo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well researched book, that shows that the author has a deep knowledge of both the Soviet archives and the secondary literature. The idea of using the Weberian notion of "charisma" to understand the phenomenon of internationalism is interesting and it seems to fit the events analyzed by Albert.
The only major obstacle for this book it is its alignment with the Trotskyist Interpretation of Soviet History (TIoSH). This is an invalid framework for many reasons, which cannot all be listed here. However, I can mention some of the ones that are relevant for this book. First, the selective quotation of Lenin, only taking his writings from the time he was in alignment with Trotsky (1917-1919). Per the TIoSH, it seems that Lenin died in 1919, since it seems he never wrote or said anything afterwards.
A second problem is the undue focus in Trotsky himself. It is not that Trotsky was not an important member of the Soviet government, but reading this book one would assume that he was the main figure because of all the times that he is quoted to support a point. Zinoviev, who as the president of the Comintern surely deserved a somewhat stellar role, is mentioned one or two times, while other figures like Bukharin or Kamenev are barely there.
The third problem is the use of "Stalinism". The author is forced many times to create distinctions between pre-stalinism and stalinism that he himself has to retract in other passages. The timeline of "stalinism" is vague, moving forwards and backwards in time as needed.
Finally, there is a profound western bias. The semi-colonial and colonial countries are completely ignored. China is mentioned maybe once or twice, and the topic of colonialism itself is never mentioned (as far as I remember). Internationalism, it seems, mostly applied to Germany, maybe England?
It may seem that this review is too critical and that the book is thus worthless due to its adherence to an obsolete and biased framework. However, the empirical work of Albert is very valuable and there are many things that can be glimpsed once a more unbiased outlook is applied. The key is to ignore his more partisan moments, and just read the parts in which his research shines.

[e v · Rating 4 out of 5]

any history or sociology from below , of the rank and file , pieced together from diaries and letters , especially of the activists who made , pushed forward , and held on to the promise of revolution , is brilliant , but especially where the concern is how revolutionary internationalism played out not as the foreign policy of states to export revolution but as the revolutionary love and solidarity between workers in struggle across all borders as workers , as transnational protagonists for a better world

you might think the failure of the german revolution was heartbreaking if you read the words of lenin or the executive committees but how heartbreaking it is to read the words of the rank and file revolutionaries for whom it really mattered