Leo Tolstoy and Pyotr Nikolaev on social and political problems of the twentieth century

Abstract

   The research studies the socio-political views of Leo Tolstoy and Pyotr Nikolaev. The article deals with Tolstoy’s “prophecies” and predictions, which are reflected in his journalistic articles and diary entries. These works and notes touch upon the events of the Russian history in the 20th century: the beginning of World War I in 1914, the inevitability of social upheavals and changes in Russia in the early 20th century, the feeling of Fin de siècle, and the development of militarism along with the emergence of new types of weapons in European countries. We analyze certain features of Tolstoy’s perception of international relations, the revolutionary movement, and the socio-economic progress. The article shows the main features of the outlook of Tolstoy’s follower, the spiritual monist P. Nikolayev, a philosopher, who denied the material conditionality of social relations, social injustice, and violence as methods of achieving political goals. The article emphasizes the consistency of Tolstoy and Nikolayev’s critical attitude to the main events of political history, wars, and revolutions. We reveal the features and essence of the alternative perception of the meaning and goals of the historical development in terms of their world outlook, and the social changes, based on nonviolence and anti-war views.