“The tops cannot, the lower classes do not want” - a well-known expression that belongs to Lenin, by which he denoted the revolutionary situation in society, when, in his opinion, all the necessary prerequisites for a coup d'etat and the overthrow of the ruling system ripened. This thesis was picked up by his followers, and in Soviet times entered into all school textbooks on historical and social disciplines. In our time, expression has also been preserved, although it is used already in other contexts in relation to a particular socio-political situation.
Characteristic of the era
The phrase “the tops cannot, the lower classes do not want” was first sounded in Lenin's work “May Day of the Revolutionary Proletariat” in 1913. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire was in a rather difficult position. On the one hand, it was experiencing a period of economic and industrial growth, and by the mentioned year it had become one of the leading world powers in industrial production. However, its international position was extremely difficult due to failure in the Russo-Japanese War, in which our country failed and lost part of Sakhalin Island, which caused discontent in society. Therefore, the phrase "the top can not, the lower classes do not want" Lenin probably wanted to show the tense situation both in society and in the upper circles of power.
Teaching
The above formulation is closely related to his development of the theory of the revolutionary situation. According to its provisions, a coup is possible only in the following three cases: when the authorities and the government are not able to manage according to the old system, the society is in a depressed state and does not want to put up with its position anymore, and, finally, when people are able to organize and speak out en masse against the existing system. The idea that “the tops cannot, the lower classes do not want,” was expressed by the author in the context of discussions about the revolutionary situation in another of his works entitled “The Collapse of the Second International” (1915). It was a difficult time in the history of our country, which participated in the First World War, which led to an aggravation of the socio-political situation and the growth of opposition sentiments.
About the crisis
Lenin also formulated the idea that a serious and deep government crisis is needed to carry out a revolution. At this time, in his opinion, the masses should be organized by a revolutionary party that would take charge of the movement. According to him, this is an important subjective prerequisite for a successful coup.
About the economy
Lenin believed that the only way out of the crisis was to be a bourgeois-democratic revolution. “Tops ... bottoms do not want” - a phrase that in a concise form expressed the basic concept of his teachings. However, he believed that the reason for all this was the deep socio-economic background rooted in the basis of production. At the end of the 19th century, Lenin, in a number of his works, primarily in the book "The Development of Capitalism in Russia", argued that the capitalist mode of production had already finally formed in our country. In his opinion, the state entered the highest stage of capitalism - imperialism, which Lenin continued, said that the revolution was necessary. In this work, he analyzed in detail the domestic market, the division of labor and commodity production, which ultimately led to capitalism. The current situation, namely the government crisis and the impoverishment of the people as a result of their exploitation, has led to the fact that "the upper classes cannot, and the lower classes do not want to" put up with the existing situation. In the latter circumstance, the author saw the most important prerequisite for the possibility of a coup.
Comparison with other exercises
It should be noted that Lenin developed these ideas at a time when other socio-political trends existed in Russia, which otherwise explained the development of our country. For example, the Narodniks argued that capitalism was not necessary for the economy of the empire, and spoke about the advantages of small-scale production. Lenin, on the contrary, argued that capitalism was inevitable, that it naturally developed from commodity production, which, in turn, arose from the social division of labor. He also fully accepted the Marxist doctrine of socio-economic formations, which suggested that in the event of contradictions between productive forces and production relations, the prerequisites for a revolutionary coup would come. It was precisely this thought in a concise form that the statement “the tops cannot, the lower classes do not want to” conveyed.
Lenin strove to prove that a revolutionary situation had already ripened in Russia , and that a coup was possible under the leadership of the Bolshevik party. The teaching was subsequently recognized as official and was considered in school and university courses.