...She is akin to nature. Woe to those who think that in the revolution they will find the fulfillment of only their dreams, no matter how lofty and noble they may be. A revolution, like a thunderstorm, like a snowstorm, always brings something new and unexpected; she cruelly deceives many; she easily cripples the worthy in her whirlpool; she often brings the unworthy to land unharmed; but - this is her particularity, it does not change either general direction stream, nor that menacing and deafening roar that the stream emits. This hum, anyway, is always about the great.
...With all your body, with all your heart, with all your consciousness - listen to the Revolution.
A.A. Block "Intellectuals and Revolution"

Gorky comprehends revolutionary events in a series of articles “ Untimely thoughts" He states that after February, Russia married freedom, but, according to Gorky, this is external freedom, while internally the people are not free and are shackled by a sense of slavery. Gorky saw the overcoming of slavery in the democratization of knowledge, in “cultural-historical development”: “Knowledge is a necessary tool in the interclass struggle, which underlies the modern world order and is an inevitable, albeit tragic moment of this period of history, an irreducible force of cultural and political development... Knowledge must be democratized, it must be made popular; it, and only it, is the source of fruitful work, the basis of culture. And only knowledge will arm us with self-awareness, only it will help us correctly assess our strengths and tasks at this moment and show us wide path to further victories. Calm work is the most productive.”

Gorky was afraid that in a revolution the destructive element could prevail over the creative, and the revolution would turn into a merciless rebellion: “We must understand, it’s time to understand that the most terrible enemy of freedom and law is within us: this is our stupidity, our cruelty and all that chaos of dark, anarchic feelings that was brought up in our soul by shameless oppression, the monarchy, its cynical cruelty... for about a year and a half ago, I published “Two Souls,” an article in which I said that the Russian people are organically inclined towards anarchism; that he is passive, but cruel when power falls into his hands.” From these thoughts it follows that Gorky did not accept the actions of the Bolsheviks, fearing that “the working class will suffer, for it is the vanguard of the revolution and he will be the first to be destroyed in civil war. And if the working class is defeated and destroyed, then they will be destroyed best forces and the hopes of the country. So I say, addressing workers who are aware of their cultural role in the country: the politically literate proletariat must thoughtfully check its attitude towards the government of the people's commissars, must be very careful about their social creativity.
My opinion is this: the people's commissars are destroying and ruining the working class of Russia, they are terribly and absurdly complicating the labor movement; by directing it beyond the limits of reason, they create irresistibly difficult conditions for the whole future work of the proletariat and for the entire progress of the country."

Gorky, comprehending the course of revolutionary events, argues contradictorily, weighing all the pros and cons and derives his definition of socialism, timed to the current historical moment: « We must remember that socialism is a scientific truth, that the entire history of human development leads us to it, that it is a completely natural stage of political and economic evolution human society, we must be confident in its implementation, confidence will reassure us. The worker must not forget the idealistic beginning of socialism - only then will he confidently feel himself both an apostle of the new truth and a powerful fighter for its triumph, when he remembers that socialism is necessary and salutary not only for the working people, but that it liberates all classes, all of humanity from rusty chains of an old, sick, lying, self-denying culture.”

To resolve contradictions, Alexey Maksimovich again turns to historical literature. It is characteristic that he views the victory of the Revolution through the concept of “time of troubles.” To put an end to the discussion about Gorky’s rejection of the concept “the end justifies the means,” I will quote from his letter to R. Rolland on January 25, 1922 (Gorky was already in exile - a business trip abroad - forced exile from the People's Commissariat for Education), where Alexey Maksimovich remains on his own general humanistic, but clearly erroneous, in my opinion, positions in assessing the revolution: “I have been promoting the need for ethics in struggle since the first days of the revolution in Russia. I was told that this was naive, insignificant, even harmful. Sometimes this was said by people to whom Jesuitism was organically disgusting, but they still consciously accepted it, accepted it, forcing themselves.”

These mistakes in Novaya Zhizn were repeatedly criticized by the newspaper Pravda and V.I. Lenin: “Gorky is too dear to our social revolution not to believe that he will soon join the ranks of its ideological leaders.”

Gorky, despite his rejection of the “means” of revolution, saw in the Bolsheviks an ordering force: “The best of them are excellent people of whom history will eventually be proud. (But in our time history has been turned upside down, all “corrected”, all distorted (N.S.)"

Newspaper " New life"was closed in July 1918. Making the decision to close the newspaper and understanding the importance of Gorky for the cause of the revolution, Lenin said: “And Gorky is our man... He will certainly return to us... Such political zigzags happen to him...”

In the end, Gorky admits his mistakes: “I’m tired of the powerless, academic position of “New Life”; “If Novaya Zhizn had been closed six months earlier, it would have been better for both me and the revolution”...

And after the assassination attempt on Lenin on August 30, 1918, Gorky radically reconsidered his attitude towards October:
“I did not understand October and did not understand it until the day of the attempt on the life of Vladimir Ilyich, recalls Gorky. - The general indignation of the workers at this vile act showed me that Lenin’s idea had deeply entered the consciousness of the working masses... Since the day of the vile attempt on the life of Vladimir Ilyich, I again felt like a “Bolshevik”.

To be continued

The Russian people married Freedom. Let us believe that from this union in our country, exhausted both physically and spiritually, new strong people. Let us firmly believe that in the Russian man the powers of his mind and will will flare up with a bright fire, powers extinguished and suppressed by the centuries-old oppression of the police system of life. But we should not forget that we are all people of yesterday and that the great task of reviving the country is in the hands of people brought up by the painful impressions of the past in the spirit of distrust of each other, disrespect for their neighbors and ugly selfishness. We grew up in an "underground" atmosphere; what we called legal activity was, in essence, either radiation into the void, or petty politicking of groups and individuals, the internecine struggle of people whose self-esteem had degenerated into painful pride. Living among the soul-poisoning ugliness of the old regime, among the anarchy it gave birth to, seeing how limitless were the limits of the power of the adventurers who ruled us, we - naturally and inevitably - became infected with all the harmful properties, all the skills and techniques of the people who despised us, mocked us. We had nowhere and nothing to develop a sense of personal responsibility for the misfortunes of the country, for its shameful life; we were poisoned by the cadaveric poison of dead monarchism. The lists of “secret employees of the Security Department” published in newspapers are a shameful indictment against us, this is one of the signs of social disintegration and rotting of the country, a formidable sign. There is also a lot of dirt, rust and all kinds of poison, all this will not disappear soon; the old order is destroyed physically, but spiritually it remains alive both around us and in ourselves. The many-headed hydra of ignorance, barbarity, stupidity, vulgarity and rudeness has not been killed; she was scared, hid, but did not lose the ability to devour living souls. We must not forget that we live in the wilds of many millions of ordinary people, politically illiterate and socially illiterate. People who don't know what they want are politically and socially dangerous people. The mass of the average person will not soon be distributed along their class paths, along the lines of clearly recognized interests; they will not soon organize themselves and become capable of conscious and creative social struggle. And for the time being, until it is organized, it will feed with its muddy and unhealthy juice the monsters of the past, born of the police system familiar to the average person. It would be possible to point out some other threats to the new system, but it is premature to talk about this and, perhaps, obscene. We are experiencing a moment in highest degree complex, requiring the exertion of all our strength, hard work and the greatest caution in decisions. We do not need to forget the fatal mistakes of 905-6 - the brutal massacre that followed these mistakes weakened and beheaded us for a whole decade. During this time, we were politically and socially corrupted, and the war, having exterminated hundreds of thousands of young people, further undermined our strength, undermining the economic life of the country. To the generation that will be the first to accept new system life, freedom came cheap; This generation knows little about the terrible efforts of people who, over the course of a whole century, gradually destroyed the gloomy fortress of Russian monarchism. The average person did not know the hellish, mole-like work that was done for him - this hard labor is unknown not only to one average person in ten hundred Russian district towns. We are going and we are obliged to build a new life on the principles that we have long dreamed of. We understand these principles with reason, they are familiar to us in theory, but these principles are not in our instinct, and it will be terribly difficult for us to introduce them into the practice of life, into ancient Russian life. It is difficult for us, because we, I repeat, are a completely ill-educated people socially, and our bourgeoisie, now moving to power, is just as little educated in this regard. And we must remember that the bourgeoisie is taking into its hands not the state, but the ruins of the state; it is taking these chaotic ruins under conditions that are immeasurably more difficult than the conditions of 5-6 years. Will she understand that her work will be successful only if there is a strong unity with democracy, and that the task of strengthening the positions taken from the old government will not be strong under all other conditions? There is no doubt that the bourgeoisie must get better, but there is no need to rush into this, so as not to repeat the dark mistake of the 6th year. In turn, revolutionary democracy should assimilate and feel its national tasks, the need for itself to take an active part in organizing the economic strength of the country, in the development of the productive energy of Russia, in protecting its freedom from all encroachments from outside and from within. Only one victory has been won - political power has been won, many more difficult victories remain to be won, and above all we must win victory over our own illusions. We overthrew the old government, but we succeeded not because we are a force, but because the power that was rotting us was itself completely rotten and collapsed at the first friendly push. The very fact that we could not decide on this push for so long, seeing how the country was being destroyed, feeling how we were being raped - our long-suffering alone testifies to our weakness. The task of the moment is to firmly strengthen, as far as possible, the positions we have taken, which is achievable only with the reasonable unity of all forces capable of working political, economic and spiritual rebirth Russia. The best motivator of a healthy will and the surest method of correct self-esteem is a courageous awareness of one’s shortcomings. The years of war have shown us with terrifying clarity how weak we are culturally, how poorly organized we are. The organization of the country's creative forces is necessary for us, like bread and air. We are hungry for freedom and, given our inherent inclination towards anarchism, we can easily devour freedom - it is possible. Quite a few dangers threaten us. It is possible to eliminate and overcome them only under the condition of calm and friendly work to strengthen the new system of life. The most valuable creative force is man: the more spiritually developed he is, the better armed with technical knowledge, the more durable and valuable his work is, the more cultural and historical it is. We have not learned this - our bourgeoisie does not pay due attention to the development of labor productivity, a person for them is still like a horse - only a source of brute physical strength. All people have interests common ground, where they unite, despite the irremovable contradiction of class friction: this soil is the development and accumulation of knowledge. Knowledge is a necessary tool in the interclass struggle, which underlies the modern world order and is an inevitable, albeit tragic moment of this period of history, an irreducible force of cultural and political development; knowledge is a force that, in the end, should lead people to victory over the elemental energies of nature and to the subordination of these energies to the general cultural interests of man, humanity. Knowledge must be democratized, it must be made popular, it, and only it, is the source of fruitful work, the basis of culture. And only knowledge will arm us with self-awareness, only it will help us correctly assess our strengths, the tasks of the current moment and show us a broad path to further victories. Quiet work is the most productive. The force that has held me firmly on earth all my life has been and is my faith in the human mind. To this day, the Russian revolution in my eyes is a chain of bright and joyful manifestations of rationality. A particularly powerful manifestation of calm rationality was the day of March 23rd, the day of the funeral on the Champ de Mars. In this parade of hundreds of thousands of people, for the first time and almost tangibly it was felt - yes, the Russian people have made a revolution, they have risen from the dead and are now joining the great cause of the world - the construction of new and increasingly free forms of life! Great happiness to live to see such a day! And with all my soul I would like the Russian people to move further and further, ever forward and higher, just as calmly and powerfully, until the great holiday world freedom, universal equality, brotherhood!

He really felt more than he let on. In those scary days revolution, when Russia was engulfed in chaos, Maxim Gorky wanted to tell the world that it was impossible to live like this. They say that if a person thinks that something needs to be changed, then he turns into a monster who has cast aside his despair and strives for change. Gorky was like that. “Untimely Thoughts” never became a hymn to the new, post-revolutionary world, but everyone who read these publications feels that they were written by a caring person. A man who understood what was happening, but he had no weapons other than words.

Creation

In literary criticism Soviet era Gorky appeared before the public as infallible and monumental; his image became a legend. But in the period 1917-1918. he had to bare his pen and write a series of journalistic articles entitled “Untimely Thoughts.” M. Gorky vehemently defends his point of view in them.

The author began publishing articles in the publication “New Life” in April 1917 - after the February Revolution. For the writer external world was inextricably linked with the inner world. His brothers in writing joyfully welcomed the revolution. Gorky believed that the new political order would require a new state of mind. Before the revolution, only a few could be considered spiritually free people, and when the changes began, it was time to show their best moral qualities.

Before October revolution Gorky tried with all his might to find justifications for the destructive forces that had awakened in man. It was a time of hope and worry, a period of sorrow and powerlessness. Thanks to bloody revolution we have the opportunity to read Gorky’s “Untimely Thoughts,” where the author cares for his people and curses the senseless government.

Structure

Gorky’s articles “Untimely Thoughts” are today combined into one book, which consists of 66 chapters. When publishing in the newspaper, the author refused to group them into chronological order. He combined publications in accordance with the problem under consideration. So we can highlight the main topics touched upon by Gorky: the problems of revolution, historical development Russia and culture. In the book, the articles are not in the order in which they were published in the newspaper, but they still form a single whole. Even if you prepare a summary of Gorky’s “Untimely Thoughts” chapter by chapter, you will end up with an extensive article where excerpts from different sections are mixed.

During writing, the author often referred in one publication to another. In this way he strengthened his arguments and united scattered fragments of thoughts into a single whole. For example, in chapter 38 of the book (in the newspaper it was the 16th article) he writes about the destructive characteristics of the revolution and, saying that he does not want to list them, refers to already published publications in which they were mentioned more than once. Well, now we can begin to summarize Gorky’s “Untimely Thoughts.”

Russian people

In his notes, Gorky expresses his personal opinion about war, revolution, and the fate of people who are entirely dependent on culture and knowledge. His bold statements and polemics that contradicted the state apparatus of government became the reasons why the newspaper was closed. But Gorky’s words have already been written, albeit not in full, but they have sounded and continue to sound.

The first thing the author notes is the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty. This was the beginning, the first step towards complete victory. And this victory could be achieved if culture and democratized knowledge were developed. The strength of the country should be people, and their weapons should be culture and spirituality. IN summary Gorky’s “Untimely Thoughts” is worth noting that he believed dangerous people illiterate and socially illiterate. The country, the Russian people need creative forces, which are necessary during the period of transformation, like bread and air.

Fierce enemies

In the face of a cultural and organized enemy, Russia is helpless. And the war revealed this fading of spirit. Those who spoke of saving Europe from the shackles of civilization through culture quickly fell silent. As Gorky writes: “ The spirit of true culture turned out to be an ignorant stench of selfishness, laziness and carelessness" If a people cannot refuse violence against a person, they will never become free. No matter how many times the government changes, those who practice violence will forever remain its hostages.

You need to cultivate an aversion to murder and fight, fight every day with fierce enemies - stupidity and cruelty.

Truth and Atrocities

Also in Gorky’s articles “Untimely Thoughts” there are reflections on the truth. The author considers it a real art, which is so difficult to comprehend. For the average person, the truth is inconvenient and unacceptable. He will agree with the lie that suits him and will never give it up.

In the summary of Gorky’s “Untimely Thoughts,” special attention should be paid to the atrocities of war. In particular, remember that the author wrote when talented youth were taken to the battlefield. These people did not know military service and did not know how to shoot. On Monday they visited the shooting ranges for the first time, and on Wednesday they were sent to the front. These people did not know how to defend themselves, they did not go to fight, but went to the slaughter. Gorky laments the stupid decision of the tsarist authorities. Sending artists, writers, or musicians to war is like making gold horseshoes for a draft horse.

War is the senseless extermination of people, the destruction of fertile soil and a time of bloody chaos. And everyone is guilty of this. One can only imagine how much useful the killed soldiers could have done for the country. But as he writes.”

Culture

Further in the summary of Gorky’s articles “Untimely Thoughts” the benefits are noted cultural development. According to the writer, it is culture that will save Russian people from stupidity. After the revolution, the proletariat had the opportunity to engage in creativity. But for now this segment of the population is still limited by relics of the past. It is in the proletariat that the author sees his dream - the triumph of justice and the formation of a cultured person.

Gorky considers books to be the main source of culture. She is a pure spring of spiritual food and knowledge. But valuable libraries in the country are being destroyed, and book printing has almost ceased. The author writes that the old government was incompetent, but the instinct of self-preservation told it that its worst enemy- This human brain. Therefore, she tried by all means to make it difficult intellectual development countries. Maxim Gorky actively encourages his readers to revive the country's intellectual, cultural and spiritual heritage.

Disappointment

Later, Gorky learns that even after the overthrow of monarchism, complete lawlessness reigns in the country. For the new government, representatives of the old regime were enemies who were subject to groundless arrests and ill-treatment. As soon as the revolution ended, people began to carry out acts of looting. They emptied wine cellars, but the reserves of this drink could be sold abroad to provide the country with the necessary medicines, equipment and manufactures. Even in the summary of “Untimely Thoughts” by Maxim Gorky, a strong resentment towards his compatriots is acutely felt, and yet the author seeks excuses for them.

Gorky writes that Bolshevism did not live up to the hopes of the uncultured masses and the proletariat could not win. Bank seizures, severe famine, innocent people locked in prisons. The revolution failed to bring spiritual rebirth. " There is no poison more insidious than power over people, this must be remembered so that power does not poison us».

In the summary of Gorky’s “Untimely Thoughts,” it is worth mentioning the author’s advice that he gives to his compatriots. The writer says that you need to become addicted to the study of European culture. It will help the stunned average person become more humane and teach him to think independently. Analyzing revolutionary realities, the author notes that people have ceased to see the difference between criticism and slander.

The revolution gave the green light to freedom of speech, which incredibly turned into freedom of libel. More than once the question was raised in the press about who was to blame for the devastation of Russia, and every publicist was sure that his opponent was guilty. Gorky emphasizes that people have a completely undeveloped sense of personal responsibility; everyone blames their neighbor for their troubles. The author sees only culture as a path to salvation. He despises stupid ignorance and yet loves his compatriots: “ The most sinful and dirty people on earth, stupid in both Good and Evil. Drunk on vodka, disfigured by violence. But still good-natured and, after all, talented».

Condemnation

Even in the summary of “Untimely Thoughts” by M. Gorky, one can see how the author calls on people to love their homeland. Calls for learning, because the true essence of culture lies in disgust for everything dirty, vicious and deceitful that makes a person suffer and belittles his dignity.

Gorky condemns the despotic methods of Trotsky and Lenin, which are completely rotten by power. Under them there is no freedom of speech, and the people are just a mechanism that allows them to build socialism. The leaders led both the revolution and the people to death. From books they knew how to raise a people, but they never knew the people themselves. The revolution was supposed to bring democracy, but in reality it became the epicenter of violence.

Slave and leader

The content of Gorky’s “Untimely Thoughts” says that there is no greater joy for a slave than to see his master defeated. He does not know the joy that is available to an intelligent person - to be free from feelings of enmity. As if from last bit of strength the author argues that there is no point in living if there is no faith in human brotherhood and confidence in the victory of love. The authorities are pursuing their line and are proud of the fact that the self-esteem of the Russian average person is increasing. The sailors proudly declare that for each of their lives they will take thousands of lives of the rich. Naturally, it is easier to kill than to convince. Nobody cares about the people becoming better; the free press is under the heel of the authorities and must make embittered, bestial violence a less disgusting reality.

The one the world needs

Only the person who knows how to love and work is needed by the world. Russian people don’t like to work, and they don’t know how to love. The revolution threw away the morality and intellectual energy of the country. Those who have brought a lot of benefit to society are imprisoned. In the eyes of the leaders, every Russian is “not yet a person,” but how beautifully the government decorates its speeches - “we express the will of the people.”

The only good thing that the revolution brought was the equality of Jews. Finally, people who can do better will do so. Gorky is amazed that Jews love Russia more than many Russians.

conclusions

Maxim Gorky believes that for the social and aesthetic education of the people, these very people need to read European literature, French comedies and Greek tragedies. He knows the needs of the working class, so he offers exactly what they will understand and assimilate.

Gorky is confident that it is necessary to unite the intellectual forces of the intelligentsia with the forces of young peasants, only then will it be possible to revive the spiritual wealth of the country. This is the true path to freedom and culture, over which politics should have no power. After all, politics is always disgusting. No matter who does it, it will always be accompanied by lies, violence, and slander. The author appeals to each reader, to his good beginnings, which must defeat the darkness. Only then is democracy and freedom possible in the country.

Here they are, “Untimely Thoughts” by Maxim Gorky. He is not completely confident in his concept and has repeatedly tried to find a compromise that even the authorities will agree to. And yet he could not remain silent about many moments. His country and people suffered, and he suffered with them, trying to reach everyone with his only weapon - the word.

I

The Russian people married Freedom. Let us believe that from this union in our country, exhausted both physically and spiritually, new strong people will be born.

Let us firmly believe that in the Russian man the powers of his mind and will will flare up with a bright fire, powers extinguished and suppressed by the centuries-old oppression of the police system of life.

But we should not forget that we are all people of yesterday and that the great task of reviving the country is in the hands of people brought up by the painful impressions of the past, a spirit of distrust of each other, disrespect for their neighbors and ugly selfishness.

We grew up in an "underground" atmosphere; what we called legal activity was, in essence, either radiation into the void, or petty politicking of groups and individuals, the internecine struggle of people whose self-esteem had degenerated into painful pride.

Living among the soul-poisoning ugliness of the old regime, among the anarchy it gave birth to, seeing how limitless were the limits of the power of the adventurers who ruled us, we - naturally and inevitably - became infected with all the harmful properties, all the skills and techniques of the people who despised us, mocked us.

We had nowhere and nothing to develop a sense of personal responsibility for the misfortunes of the country, for its shameful life; we were poisoned by the cadaveric poison of dead monarchism.

Lists of “secret employees of the Security Department” published in newspapers are a shameful indictment against us, this is one of the signs of social disintegration and rotting of the country, a formidable sign.

There is also a lot of dirt, rust and all kinds of poison, all this will not disappear soon; the old order is destroyed physically, but spiritually it remains alive both around us and in ourselves. The many-headed hydra of ignorance, barbarity, stupidity, vulgarity and rudeness has not been killed; she was scared, hid, but did not lose the ability to devour living souls.

We must not forget that we live in the wilds of many millions of ordinary people, politically illiterate and socially illiterate. People who don't know what they want are politically and socially dangerous people. The mass of the average person will not soon be distributed along their class paths, along the lines of clearly recognized interests; they will not soon organize themselves and become capable of conscious and creative social struggle. And for the time being, until it is organized, it will feed with its muddy and unhealthy juice the monsters of the past, born of the police system familiar to the average person.

It would be possible to point out some other threats to the new system, but it is premature to talk about this and, perhaps, obscene.

We are experiencing a highly difficult moment, requiring the exertion of all our strength, hard work and the greatest caution in decisions. We do not need to forget the fatal mistakes of 905-6 - the brutal massacre that followed these mistakes weakened and beheaded us for a whole decade. During this time, we were politically and socially corrupted, and the war, having exterminated hundreds of thousands of young people, further undermined our strength, undermining the economic life of the country.

The generation that will be the first to accept the new system of life got freedom cheaply; This generation knows little about the terrible efforts of people who, over the course of a whole century, gradually destroyed the gloomy fortress of Russian monarchism. The average person did not know the hellish, mole-like work that was done for him - this hard labor is unknown not only to one average person in ten hundred Russian district towns.

We are going and we are obliged to build a new life on the principles that we have long dreamed of. We understand these principles with reason, they are familiar to us in theory, but these principles are not in our instinct, and it will be terribly difficult for us to introduce them into the practice of life, into ancient Russian life. It is difficult for us, because we, I repeat, are a completely ill-educated people socially, and our bourgeoisie, now moving to power, is just as little educated in this regard. And we must remember that the bourgeoisie is taking into its hands not the state, but the ruins of the state; it is taking these chaotic ruins under conditions that are immeasurably more difficult than the conditions of 5-6 years. Will she understand that her work will be successful only if there is a strong unity with democracy, and that the task of strengthening the positions taken from the old government will not be strong under all other conditions? There is no doubt that the bourgeoisie must get better, but there is no need to rush into this, so as not to repeat the dark mistake of the 6th year.

In turn, revolutionary democracy should assimilate and feel its national tasks, the need for itself to take an active part in organizing the economic strength of the country, in the development of the productive energy of Russia, in protecting its freedom from all encroachments from outside and from within.

Only one victory has been won - political power has been won; many more difficult victories remain to be won, and first of all we must defeat our own illusions.

We overthrew the old government, but we succeeded not because we are a force, but because the power that was rotting us was itself completely rotten and collapsed at the first friendly push. The mere fact that we could not decide on this push for so long, seeing how the country was being destroyed, feeling how it was being raped us - already Our long-suffering alone testifies to our weakness.

The task of the moment is to firmly strengthen, as far as possible, the positions we have taken, which is achievable only with the reasonable unity of all forces capable of working for the political, economic and spiritual revival of Russia.

In a nutshell: At a turning point historical stage 1917–1918 The author in newspaper articles speaks about the war, revolution, the fate of the Russian people, whose spiritual salvation depends entirely on culture and knowledge.

The book consists of short notes by M. Gorky, published in the Petrograd newspaper “Novaya Zhizn” from May 1, 1917 to June 16, 1918.

“The Russian people are married to Freedom.” But these people must throw off the centuries-old oppression of the police regime. The author notes that political victory is just the beginning. Only popular and democratized knowledge as a weapon of inter-class struggle and the development of culture will help the Russians achieve complete victory. The multimillion-dollar man in the street, politically illiterate and socially ill-educated, is dangerous. “The organization of the country’s creative forces is necessary for us, like bread and air.” Creative Power- man, his weapon is spirituality and culture.

The war revealed the fading of the spirit: Russia is weak in the face of a cultural and organized enemy. People who were shouting about saving Europe from the false shackles of civilization with the spirit of true culture quickly fell silent:

The “spirit of true culture” turned out to be the stench of all kinds of ignorance, disgusting selfishness, rotten laziness and carelessness.

“If the Russian people are not able to renounce the grossest violence against a person, they have no freedom.” The author considers stupidity and cruelty to be the fundamental enemies of Russians. You need to cultivate a sense of disgust towards murder:

Murder and violence are arguments of despotism... killing a person does not mean... killing an idea.

Telling the truth is the most difficult art of all. It is inconvenient for the average person and unacceptable for him. Gorky talks about the atrocities of war. War is the senseless destruction of people and fertile lands. Art and science are raped by militarism. Despite talk of brotherhood and the unity of interests of humanity, the world plunged into bloody chaos. The author notes that everyone is guilty of this. How much useful could those killed in war do for the development of the state, working for the good of the country.

But we are destroying millions of lives and enormous reserves of labor energy through murder and destruction.

Only culture, according to Gorky, will save Russians from their main enemy - stupidity. After the revolution, the proletariat received the opportunity to create, but for now it is limited to the “watery” feuilletons of maternity leave commissars. It is in the proletariat that the author sees a dream of the triumph of justice, reason, beauty, “the victory of man over beast and cattle.”

The main conductor of culture is the book. However, the most valuable libraries are being destroyed, and book printing has almost ceased.

From one of the champions of monarchism, the author learns that even after the revolution lawlessness reigns: arrests are made according to pike command, prisoners are treated cruelly. An official of the old regime, a cadet or an Octobrist, becomes an enemy for the current regime, and the attitude “according to humanity” towards him is the most vile.

After the revolution, there was a lot of looting: crowds emptied entire cellars, the wine from which could be sold to Sweden and provide the country with the necessary goods - textiles, cars, medicines. “This is a Russian revolt without socialists in spirit, without the participation of socialist psychology.”

According to the author, Bolshevism will not fulfill the aspirations of the uncultured masses; the proletariat has not won. The seizure of banks does not give people bread - hunger rages. Innocent people are again in prison, “the revolution does not bear signs of the spiritual rebirth of man.” They say that first you need to take power into your own hands. But the author objects:

There is no poison more vile than power over people, we must remember this so that power does not poison us...

Culture, primarily European, can help a stunned Russian become more humane, teach him to think, because even for many literate people the difference between criticism and slander is not visible.

Freedom of speech, the path for which was paved by the revolution, has so far become freedom of slander. The press raised the question: “Who is to blame for the devastation of Russia?” Each of the disputants is sincerely convinced that his opponents are to blame. It is now, in these tragic days, that we should remember how poorly developed the sense of personal responsibility is among the Russian people and how “we are accustomed to punishing our neighbors for our sins.”

Slave blood is still alive in the blood of the Russian people Tatar-Mongol yoke and serfdom. But now “the disease has come out,” and the Russians will pay for their passivity and Asian inertia. Only culture and spiritual cleansing will help them heal.

The most sinful and dirty people on earth, clueless in good and evil, drunk on vodka, disfigured by the cynicism of violence... and, at the same time, incomprehensibly good-natured - in the end of everything - this is a talented people.

We need to teach people to love their Motherland, to awaken in men the desire to learn. True essence culture - in disgust for everything dirty, deceitful, which “humiliates a person and makes him suffer.”

Gorky condemns the despotism of Lenin and Trotsky: they are rotten from power. Under them there is no freedom of speech, just like under Stolypin. For Lenin, the people are like ore from which there is a chance to “cast socialism.” He learned from books how to raise the people, although he never knew the people. The leader led both the revolution and the workers to death. The revolution must open up democracy for Russia, violence must go away - the spirit and reception of caste.

For a slave, the greatest joy is to see his master defeated, because... he knows no joy anymore worthy of a person- the joy of “being free from feelings of enmity towards one’s neighbor.” It will be known - it is not worth living if there is no faith in the brotherhood of people and confidence in the victory of love. As an example, the author cites Christ - the immortal idea of ​​mercy and humanity.

The government can take credit for the fact that the self-esteem of the Russian people is rising: the sailors are shouting that for each of their heads they will take not hundreds, but thousands of heads of rich people. For Gorky, this is the cry of cowardly and unbridled animals:

Of course, it is easier to kill than to convince.

They cared little about making the Russian people better. The throat of the seal is pinched " new government“, but the press is able to make bitterness not so disgusting, because “the people learn from us anger and hatred.”

Be more humane in these days of general brutality.

In the world, a person is assessed simply: does he love, does he know how to work? “If so, you are a person, needed by the world" And since Russians do not like to work and do not know how, and the Western European world knows this, “it will be very bad for us, worse than we expect...” The revolution gave scope to bad instincts, and, at the same time, cast aside “all the intellectual forces of democracy, all the moral energy of the country.”

The author believes that a woman, with the charm of love, can turn men into people, into children. For Gorky, it is savage that a woman-mother, the source of all that is good despite destruction, demands that all Bolsheviks and men be hanged. The woman is the mother of Christ and Judas, Ivan the Terrible and Machiavelli, geniuses and criminals. Rus' will not perish if a woman sheds light into this bloody chaos of these days.

They imprison people who have brought a lot of benefit to society. They imprison the cadets, but their party represents the interests of a significant part of the people. The commissioners from Smolny do not care about the fate of the Russian people: “In the eyes of your leaders, you are still not a man.” The phrase “We express the will of the people” is a decoration of the speech of the government, which always strives to master the will of the masses even with a bayonet.

Equality of Jews is one of best achievements revolution: they finally gave the opportunity to work to people who know how to do it better. Jews, to the author's amazement, show more love for Russia than many Russians. And the author considers attacks on Jews because only a few of them turned out to be Bolsheviks unreasonable. An honest Russian person has to feel shame “for the Russian bungler, who on a difficult day in life certainly looks for his enemy somewhere outside himself, and not in the abyss of his stupidity.”

Gorky is outraged by the fate of soldiers in the war: they die, and officers receive orders. The soldier is a litter. There are known cases of fraternization between Russians and German soldiers at the front: apparently, common sense pushed them to this.

For the social and aesthetic education of the masses, Gorky, in comparison with Russian literature, considers European literature more useful - Rostand, Dickens, Shakespeare, as well as Greek tragedians and French comedies: “I stand for this repertoire because - I dare say - I know the demands of the spirit of the working masses "

The author talks about the need to unite the intellectual forces of the experienced intelligentsia with the forces of the young worker and peasant intelligentsia. Then it is possible to revive the spiritual forces of the country and improve its health. This is the path to culture and freedom, which must rise above politics:

Politics, no matter who makes it, is always disgusting. It is always accompanied by lies, slander and violence.

Horror, stupidity, madness are from man, just like the beautiful things he has created on earth. Gorky appeals to man, to his faith in the victory of good principles over evil. Man is sinful, but he atones for his sins and filth with unbearable suffering.