A Neglected Source of Lenin's Nationality Policy

Abstract

Lenin's crucial role in formulating and laying the foundations of Soviet nationality policy is acknowledged by all. His nationality program—whether one views it as opportunist and pseudo-Marxist or as “the outstanding contribution to the treasure trove of creative Marxism”—is considered to be his most original and perhaps most successful policy. Lenin's lasting impact on the nationalities themselves is attested by the fact that national dissidents in the Soviet Union often call for a return to “Leninist” policy. One dissident writes, “It is difficult to find today anything more useful, noble and imperative than the restoration of Lenin's nationalities policy.”According to most biographers, Lenin became involved with the nationality question only on the eve of World War I while living in exile in the multinational Austrian Empire. It was there that he recognized nationalism as a powerful force and began to devise a program that would harness it for the revolution. Opposing both the cultural autonomy scheme of the Austrian Marxists and the total scorn of nationalism by Rosa Luxemburg, Lenin, in debates with fellow Marxists, formulated his own program.

La planificació i la política lingüístiques a l’URSS: la categoria de nacionalitat

“…L'indigenisme entronca directament amb les teories que Lenin i els bolxevics defensaven ja molt abans de la Revolució. De fet, la Internacional Socialista de Londres de 1896 ja havia preconitzat una resolució a favor de l'autodeterminació dels pobles que s'interpreta com a fonament per a la doctrina política de Lenin en matèria nacional i lingüística: Lenin, sensibilitzat amb les minories nacionals del territori de l'Imperi rus, va llegir el dret a l'autodeterminació com a dret a la secessió (Kreindler 1977). De la mateixa manera, interpretava que les llengües i les institucions pròpies de les nacionalitats de la Unió Soviètica eren absolutament inviolables (Lewis 1972).…”

The Non-Russian Languages and the Challenge of Russian: The Eastern versus the Western Tradition

“…In his linguistic policy, which from the standpoint of most non-Russians proved to be most appealing, Lenin seems to have been influenced largely by his personal experience in his native Volga area, where his father, who was an official of the ministry of education, had worked tirelessly to promote non-Russian education in the mother tongue. 18 Most Lenin biographers note his "peculiar ambivalence," his "ambivalent" theories, his "insight (rare for him)" in this area. 19 In Lenin's writings, one can of course find authentically orthodox Marxian assertions in favor of "fusion" of all nations into "a higher socialist unity," or the contention that the duty of a Marxist in the nationality field is only "negative" -to prevent any privileges rather than to provide a "positive" support.…”

Focus article

“…4. In this Lenin was continuing the work of N. I. Il'minskii, whose approach to national languages had an enormous impact on Lenin (see Kreindler, 1977;. 5.…”