Boris Souvarine
Encyclopedia
Boris Souvarine was an Imperial Russian-born French
socialist
, communist
activist, essayist, and journalist.
, Ukraine
in a Jewish family. Souvarine's family moved to Paris
in 1897, where he became a socialist activist from a young age. He trained as a jewellry designer and became an art worker.
(SFIO) shortly before World War I
. He was associated with Jean Longuet
's left pacifist section of the party, and wrote for Longuet's paper Le Populaire, and later for Maxim Gorky
's Novaya Zhizn
. Although he initially supported France's participation in the conflict, he came to oppose it and, by the time of the October Revolution
, he became a Bolshevik
and one of the French activists of the Comintern
.
He was subsequently a founding member and leading spokesmen for the French Communist Party
(PCF), and its representative in the Executive Committee of the Comintern. In this role he was in regular contact with Leon Trotsky
. When Trotsky became the target of vilification in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
(CPSU), Souvarine conveyed the PCF's support for Trotsky to the CPSU's Thirteenth Congress in 1924. He became associated with the communist opposition against Stalin.
Souvarine was removed from his official roles within the PCF in early 1924, and was expelled by the Comintern in July. He became close to anti-stalinist communist figures in Paris (including Marcel Body, Christian Rakovsky
and the writer Panait Istrati
). In October 1925, Souvarine relaunched the Bulletin Communiste and in February 1926 he organised its supporters in the Marx-Lenin Communist Circle.
In the late 1920s, he remained active in the communist opposition, was close to Pierre Monatte
and Alfred Rosmer
, and wrote in La Révolution Prolétarienne. He shared some positions with the Left Opposition
, as well with the so-called “Right Opposition
”, but refused to take part in its international conference called by Heinrich Brandler
and August Thalheimer
in Berlin in 1930. The Marx-Lenin Communist Circle was renamed the Democratic Communist Circle (Cercle Communiste Démocratique) ; Bulletin Communiste was continued, and Souvarine also launched La Critique Sociale. His growing break with Trotsky was indicated by his analysis, by 1927, of the Soviet Union
as "state capitalist", in contrast to Trotsky's designation of it as a "degenerated workers' state
".
In 1936, Souvarine encouraged the newly exiled writer Victor Serge
to continue political activity. By this time, Trotsky was harshly criticizing Souvarine's personal characteristics, and Trotsky stated that Souvarine was a journalist rather than a revolutionary. Serge's defense of Souvarine and other antistalinists who deviated from Trotsky's positions was among the factors that led to distrust between Serge and Trotsky.
In 1935, Boris Souvarine created the Institut d'Histoire Sociale (institute for social history), a French branch of the International Institute for social history of Amsterdam
originally created to preserve the archives of the German Social-Democratic Party. The president was Alexandre-Marie Desrousseaux, the director Boris Nicolaievski, and Boris Souvarine was the secretary general. In November 1936, burglars stole the archives of Leon Trotsky
that were deposited at the institute. In 1940, the institute was looted by the Nazis, who brought some of its collections to Germany.
After World War II
and during the Cold War
, Boris Souvarine moved towards a reformist
politics, and increasingly adopted anti-Soviet
positions. After his return to France in 1948, and with the help of Jacques Chevallier
, he recreated the Institut d'Histoire Sociale. The institute published the magazine Le Contrat Social.
Souvarine was involved in a variety of organizations and journals of the anti-Stalinist left
in France, publishing frequently on the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin
, and Stalinism
. He also criticized Lenin. His criticisms of Stalinism were important sources for some less orthodox Trotskyists, such as C. L. R. James
, who translated his book Stalin into English.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
activist, essayist, and journalist.
Early years
He was born in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
in a Jewish family. Souvarine's family moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1897, where he became a socialist activist from a young age. He trained as a jewellry designer and became an art worker.
Political career
He joined the Section Française de l'Internationale OuvrièreSection française de l'Internationale ouvrière
The French Section of the Workers' International , founded in 1905, was a French socialist political party, designed as the local section of the Second International...
(SFIO) shortly before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was associated with Jean Longuet
Jean Longuet
Jean-Laurent-Frederick Longuet was a French socialist and Karl Marx's grandson.Son of Charles and Jenny Longuet. French lawyer and Socialist who in the First World War held a pacifist position but invariably voted for war credits. Founder and editor of the newspaper Le Populaire...
's left pacifist section of the party, and wrote for Longuet's paper Le Populaire, and later for Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
's Novaya Zhizn
Novaya Zhizn
Novaya Zhizn was the first legal newspaper of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. Its first editor was Maxim Litvinov. It was edited by Bolsheviks during November-December 1905....
. Although he initially supported France's participation in the conflict, he came to oppose it and, by the time of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, he became a Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
and one of the French activists of the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
.
He was subsequently a founding member and leading spokesmen for the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
(PCF), and its representative in the Executive Committee of the Comintern. In this role he was in regular contact with Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
. When Trotsky became the target of vilification in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
(CPSU), Souvarine conveyed the PCF's support for Trotsky to the CPSU's Thirteenth Congress in 1924. He became associated with the communist opposition against Stalin.
Souvarine was removed from his official roles within the PCF in early 1924, and was expelled by the Comintern in July. He became close to anti-stalinist communist figures in Paris (including Marcel Body, Christian Rakovsky
Christian Rakovsky
Christian Rakovsky was a Bulgarian socialist revolutionary, a Bolshevik politician and Soviet diplomat; he was also noted as a journalist, physician, and essayist...
and the writer Panait Istrati
Panait Istrati
Panait Istrati was a Romanian writer of French and Romanian expression, nicknamed The Maxim Gorky of the Balkans. Istrati was first noted for the depiction of one homosexual character in his work.-Early life:...
). In October 1925, Souvarine relaunched the Bulletin Communiste and in February 1926 he organised its supporters in the Marx-Lenin Communist Circle.
In the late 1920s, he remained active in the communist opposition, was close to Pierre Monatte
Pierre Monatte
Pierre Monatte was a French trade unionist who worked in the printing industry . He was the responsible of the Confédération générale du travail at the beginning of the 20th century, and founded its journal La Vie ouvrière on 5 October 1909...
and Alfred Rosmer
Alfred Rosmer
Alfred Rosmer was a syndicalist leader before World War I and one of the few leaders of that movement to oppose the war from a revolutionary internationalist position....
, and wrote in La Révolution Prolétarienne. He shared some positions with the Left Opposition
Left Opposition
The Left Opposition was a faction within the Bolshevik Party from 1923 to 1927, headed de facto by Leon Trotsky. The Left Opposition formed as part of the power struggle within the party leadership that began with the Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin's illness and intensified with his death in January...
, as well with the so-called “Right Opposition
Right Opposition
The Right Opposition was the name given to the tendency made up of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Mikhail Tomsky and their supporters within the Soviet Union in the late 1920s...
”, but refused to take part in its international conference called by Heinrich Brandler
Heinrich Brandler
Heinrich Brandler was a German communist trade unionist, politician, revolutionary activist, and writer. Brandler is best remember as the head of the Communist Party of Germany during the party's ill-fated "March Action" of 1921 and aborted uprising of 1923, for which he was held responsible by...
and August Thalheimer
August Thalheimer
August Thalheimer was a German Marxist activist and theoretician.-Early years:August Thalheimer was born 18 March 1884 in Affaltrach, now called Obersulm, Württemberg, Germany.-Political career:...
in Berlin in 1930. The Marx-Lenin Communist Circle was renamed the Democratic Communist Circle (Cercle Communiste Démocratique) ; Bulletin Communiste was continued, and Souvarine also launched La Critique Sociale. His growing break with Trotsky was indicated by his analysis, by 1927, of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as "state capitalist", in contrast to Trotsky's designation of it as a "degenerated workers' state
Degenerated workers' state
In Trotskyist political theory the term degenerated workers' state has been used since the 1930s to describe the state of the Soviet Union after Joseph Stalin's consolidation of power in or about 1924...
".
In 1936, Souvarine encouraged the newly exiled writer Victor Serge
Victor Serge
Victor Serge , born Victor Lvovich Kibalchich , was a Russian revolutionary and writer. Originally an anarchist, he joined the Bolsheviks five months after arriving in Petrograd in January 1919 and later worked for the Comintern as a journalist, editor and translator...
to continue political activity. By this time, Trotsky was harshly criticizing Souvarine's personal characteristics, and Trotsky stated that Souvarine was a journalist rather than a revolutionary. Serge's defense of Souvarine and other antistalinists who deviated from Trotsky's positions was among the factors that led to distrust between Serge and Trotsky.
In 1935, Boris Souvarine created the Institut d'Histoire Sociale (institute for social history), a French branch of the International Institute for social history of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
originally created to preserve the archives of the German Social-Democratic Party. The president was Alexandre-Marie Desrousseaux, the director Boris Nicolaievski, and Boris Souvarine was the secretary general. In November 1936, burglars stole the archives of Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
that were deposited at the institute. In 1940, the institute was looted by the Nazis, who brought some of its collections to Germany.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Boris Souvarine moved towards a reformist
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
politics, and increasingly adopted anti-Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
positions. After his return to France in 1948, and with the help of Jacques Chevallier
Jacques Chevallier
Jacques Chevallier was a liberal pied noir mayor of Algiers who governed the city at the head of a coalition of pied noir and Moslem representatives....
, he recreated the Institut d'Histoire Sociale. The institute published the magazine Le Contrat Social.
Souvarine was involved in a variety of organizations and journals of the anti-Stalinist left
Anti-Stalinist left
The anti-Stalinist left is an element of left-wing politics that is critical of Joseph Stalin's policies and the political system that developed in the Soviet Union under his rule...
in France, publishing frequently on the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, and Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
. He also criticized Lenin. His criticisms of Stalinism were important sources for some less orthodox Trotskyists, such as C. L. R. James
C. L. R. James
Cyril Lionel Robert James , who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J.R. Johnson, was an Afro-Trinidadian historian, journalist, socialist theorist and essayist. His works are influential in various theoretical, social, and historiographical contexts...
, who translated his book Stalin into English.
Death and legacy
In 1976, a declining health forced him to abandon his position at the Institut d'Histoire Sociale. He died in Paris.Further reading
- What Became of the Revolution: Selected Writings of Boris Souvarine 2001 Socialist Platform, Foreword by Al Richardson
External links
- Boris Souvarine Papers at the International Institute of Social HistoryInternational Institute of Social HistoryThe International Institute of Social History is a historical research institute in Amsterdam. It was founded in 1935 by Nicolaas Posthumus. The IISG is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences....
- Boris Souvarine Archive at Marxist Internet Archive
- Vladimir LeninVladimir LeninVladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, An Open Letter to Boris Souvarine, Marxist Internet Archive. - Thomas MolnarThomas MolnarMolnár Tamás, Thomas Molnar or Molnar, Thomas Steven was a Catholic philosopher, historian and political theorist.- Life :...
, "The Man Who Knew Lenin - Boris Souvarine", in National ReviewNational ReviewNational Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, April 19, 1985 - Stelian TănaseStelian TanaseStelian Tănase is a Romanian writer, historian, journalist, political analyst, and talk show host. Having briefly engaged in politics during the early 1990s, after the fall of the Communist regime, he has remained a leading figure of the Romanian civil society.A founding member of both the Group...
, "The Renegade Istrati", excerpt from Auntie Varvara's Clients, translated by Alistair Ian Blyth Les Vies de Boris Souvarine, Critique Sociale, 2008