Morality and Language of Bolshevism

Abstract

The first step taken by the author of this article is his attempt to show that the reform of the Russian language initiated by the Bolsheviks has been much more than just a ‘reform of language’ because this reform embraced almost all areas of social life. Such a strong in­fluence of the revolutionary language was based primarily on its close connection with morality. During Russian Revolution, language and morality had become a unity and an inseparable whole. In addition, the revolutionary language and revolutionary morality formed the basis of legitimacy for revolutionary terror organized by the Bolsheviks. Due to this terror that has lasted for decades, the unity of revolutionary language and morality was gradually destroyed and challenged. Thus, the unity of revolutionary language and morality were put into great danger by reckless terror. In defense of this unity rose Leon Trotsky, who published his well-known work “Your Morals and Ours” in 1938. In his work he unsuccessfully tried to severely separate the morality of Bolshevism from morality of Stalinism. However, the author of this article is most interested in the (non)moral methods by which Trotsky tried to justify the Bolshevik terror. Nevertheless, Trotsky tried to legitimize not only Bolshevik but revolutionary morality as such. Accord­ing to his conviction, revolutionary morality allows the use of force when it serves revolu­tionary purposes. In this case, however, even such an important theorist as Trotsky, with his (un-)moral reasoning, reached insuperable ethical limits. Because ethics does not allow the use of violence even for revolutionary purposes. Trotsky's attempt showed us that ethical arguments can neither justify nor legitimize immoral actions. This is the meaning of his moral analysis of the Russian Revolution.