Steven Osberg Osberg 1

ISEM 101
Dissident Souls
11-29-13
The Perfect Soviet
The concept of communism has existed for well over a century, and in that time, it has
existed in countless forms and permutations. Every communist leader advocates a different
specific ideology, and every communist country has a separate emphasis on particular facets of
the theory. A further divide then arises between the theory of communism and its actual
manifestation. Even in the Soviet Union, the epitome of the communist state, this distinction
existed. It becomes especially noticeable when one looks at the differences between the Soviet
Citizen that communist ideology advocates and the Soviet Citizen that communist practice
created. The actual citizen might have changed over the decades that the Soviet Union existed,
but this change was never particularly drastic. However, the changes in ideology in the Soviet
Union as different leaders came into power was quite distinct as each leader placed a different
emphasis on certain ideals, or changed them all together. Leaders such as Karl Marx, Vladimir
Lenin, Leon Trotsky, and Joseph Stalin shaped communism through their different ideologies,
and as each shift in communist theory occurred, the concept of the ideal Soviet shifted as well.
These shifts occurred as different theories gained dominance because the theoretical Soviet is,
unsurprisingly, based on the existing communist theory.
Understandably, changing national, and international, conditions led to a change in
practiced communist theory. Ideally, communist theory would not change at all, but,
paradoxically, a change in the practicing communists caused a changed in the Soviet Ideal.
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Humans are too corruptible and too focused on a world that will never permit perfect ideals.
Situations such as two world wars create an environment in which purely theoretical forms of
communism, or only slightly developed forms, cannot survive. Ideals such as those espoused by
Karl Marx and Leon Trotsky could not exist in their entirety in the Soviet Union. Therefore the
ideal that the leaders of the Soviet Union sought to model morphed from idealistic Marx and
Trotsky to more practical Lenin and Stalin. Although all four of these philosophies contain some
overarching concepts, there are enough differences between them that the concept of the ideal
citizen changed in drastic ways.
The first prominent communist theory was that of Marxism. Karl Marx based this theory
around the class struggle of the capitalist bourgeois that controlled production and the average
person, proletarian, in a capitalist society. He suggested that eventually, capitalisms potential to
support society would fail, particularly with only a relatively few controlling the means of
production in a nation (Corrigan). When this capitalist system fails, a revolution would occur in
which the proletarian takes control of the production from the bourgeois and shares it among the
people. This collective distribution would not be based off of profits but off of production. With
the workers controlling the factories, every person supports one another rather than simply
working for themselves (Hook). With this system of production in place, almost every facet of
society changes. Economic, military, and social conditions would all be changed, and this would
then change the citizens.
The perfect Marxist would be a member of the proletarian. He or she should be
conscientious about the conditions of the working class and unafraid to act to better the
conditions of society. The basis and Marxism is the proletarian revolution and the distribution of
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wealth. The worker would follow the maxim: From each according to his ability. To each
according to his needs. Leon Trotsky then modified this idea.
Marxism is based on the idea that a capitalist society is the only one that can undergo the
proletarian revolution. Essentially, the nation must actually be developed enough for there to be a
large working class and a small bourgeois that controls the means of production. However,
Trotsky suggested a theory that even a country such as Russia might undergo a communist
revolution (Corrigan). At the time Russia existed in a feudal state, with very little capitalist
control of the economy and the majority of the citizens as peasants. According to Marxism, this
country would not yet be developed enough for socialism, but to Trotsky, the revolution could
still occur. With the capitalist class so weak, the working class, although small, could challenge
the feudal system and win the support of the peasantry. With their support, a revolution might
still occur. Nor would the revolution stop there: Trotskyism suggests the idea of a permanent
revolution that would sweep through other countries as well (Hudson).
A citizen under Trotsky, because of their similarity of ideals, would also be similar to a
perfect Marxist, but the ideal citizen under the Trotsky philosophy would most likely be a
peasant originally, rather than working class. This citizen would be more convinced of the idea
of change and progression of society. Furthermore, the Trotskyist would work more toward the
spread of communism and revolution to other countries, whether they are capitalist or feudal
states.
Under these philosophies, communist revolution occurred in Russia, and Vladimir Lenin
established a more practical theory to manage this new system. This theory relied on the
Vanguard Party comprised of members of the proletarian to depose Tsarist rule and help design
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the new form of government (Hudson). This new government would rely on the idea of the
dictatorship of the Proletariat. This is a centralized democracy in which the working class runs
the country. The rulers of the people would be the people.
The Leninist citizen would essentially be the same as a Trotskyist, but they would be
much more active within the party because Leninism is essentially Trotskyism with a stronger,
more active party system. This is not to say that they are identical though. The Leninists
involvement in the Party causes the citizen to be much more active in the public setting. This
includes Party activities, but it also means the citizen would participate more in charities and
other public activities. This activity stands in stark contrast to Stalinism.
Stalinism existed when the Soviet Union had already been established, so Stalinism was
based around creating a stable, powerful Soviet Union that could expand its influence to other
countries. This ideology followed most of the basic tenets of traditional Marxism, but it differed
where disagreement was concerned. Stalinism forbade dissidence. One could not speak out or act
against the government without severe repercussions. This brutal system was designed to prevent
thoughts and actions from harming the Soviet Union, and the ideal citizen changed drastically
under its rule (Budenz).
This citizen believes in the whole above all else. They will do whatever the government
tells them is right because they believe the government looks out for everyones best interests.
One does not express a differing opinion, and one does not act against the norm. They only exist
as their government desires them to. This stands in drastic contrast with the citizens of the other
ideologies, but there are still many similarities.

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For the sake of simplicity, the collectivist ideals will be those of the Soviet Union in the
1950s and 60s. These ideals stressed the state above all else. Any threat to the stability of the
whole must be eradicated. Only complete cooperation is acceptable. This is most clearly
illustrated by the Moral Code of the Builder of Communism. This set of twelve rules outlines the
morals of the people in a social and private setting. They are arranged in order of importance
with the first rule essentially acting as the golden rule of communist society (Field). They are
listed in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia as:
1. Devotion to the cause of Communism, love of the socialist Motherland and of the
socialist countries.
2. Conscientious labor for the good of society: he who does not work, neither shall he eat.
3. Concern on the part of everyone for the preservation and growth of public property.
4. High sense of public duty; intolerance of actions harmful to the public interest.
5. Collectivism and comradely mutual assistance: one for all and all for one.
6. Humane relations and mutual respect between individuals: man is to man a friend, a
comrade, and a brother.
7. Honesty and truthfulness, moral purity, unpretentiousness and modesty in social and
private life.
8. Mutual respect in the family, concern for the upbringing of children.
9. Irreconcilability towards injustice, parasitism, dishonesty, careerism, and profiteering.
10. Friendship and brotherhood among all peoples of the USSR, intolerance of national and
racial hatred.
11. Intolerance towards the enemies of communism, peace, and freedom of nations.
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12. Fraternal solidarity with the working people of all countries, and with all peoples.
This code clearly shows that all aspect of life must be within the limits set by the government.
This seems appalling to us.
The Code of the Builder forms the foundation of the perfect citizen, and the specifics of
each particular ideology add more aspects. However, these aspects manifest themselves in
several ways to create distinct ideals. In public, for instance, a Marxist citizen exists as a true
equal to everyone else, works in cooperation with everyone else, but may express contrary views
in discussion. They express dissent but still act toward the goals of everyone. Under the
oppressive Stalinist view, that dissident thought should not exist, much less be expressed. The
day to day public actions of the Ideal Soviet would essentially remain the same, but this potential
for disagreement and public discussion in which every citizen may express his or her view, even
when it directly conflicts with the majority opinion, is the most direct manifestation of a specific
communist philosophy in a citizens public image.
This image also carries over to the career that one would have. Obviously, a broad variety
of careers are necessary to maintain a successful state, but in a world where all careers are equal,
some would be more equal than others. The working class would be ideal under every
communist ideology. Technicians and factory workers, the Proletarian, would be perfect. The
career should not need a great deal of specific training. Nor should it be so simple a monkey
could do it. These are still specialized careers. However, a slightly specialized career in a nation
of slightly specialized careers is simply another average careerthe perfect example of the Ideal
Soviet.

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These ideals must also exist in ones private life as well. Productivity would be
encouraged in a citizens hobbies. It is obvious that a person needs something to do in their free
time, so hobbies such as fishing, woodworking, or party activism would be perfect to do in ones
personal time and serve a practical purpose at the same time. However, these hobbies must come
after one cares for his or her family. The family is the most important aspect of ones private life.
They should strive to nurture a healthy family and impart their ideals and morals, those of the
current communist regime. Furthermore, both ones family and ones hobbies should refrain
from being too ostentatious: One should not seek to draw attention to oneself. One should not
even want attention.
The internal thoughts of the Ideal Soviet, in fact, almost read as a summary communist
morality. One should always keep communist ideals at the forefront of their mind in each and
every action. When raising their family, they must consider if their parenting techniques are
helping to mold the children into more ideal communists. When working at their job, they would
ask themselves how they could better serve their fellow workers. When performing any action,
the Ideal Soviet is constantly finding ways to contribute to society while serving the needs and
desires of the state. They are essentially a walking copy of the Moral Code of the Builder that
applies those rules to actual situations.
These four facets of lifepublic, private, career, and thoughtserve to create a general
model of the perfect Soviet citizen. From this base model, modifications can be made to create a
specific ideal based on the ideologies of the different leaders. Under Marxist theory, very little
change would have to be made. The citizen would simply be particularly concerned with
contributing to production. Trotsky would most likely imagine this Soviet as an ex-peasant and
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therefore encourage their conversion to the working class and their contribution toward the
Permanent Revolution of capitalist countries. Leninism might advocate more activity within the
Party, especially from a working class breadwinner. Stalinism represents the largest change in
the Ideal Soviet. They would be much more subservient to the state and far less questioning of
suggested and existing policies. Marx, Trotsky, and Lenin encourage participation of the citizen
in the workplace and the government, but Stalin requires only participation in the workplace and
nowhere else.
These specific modifications to the base model of the perfect citizen would be based
around the agendas or goals of that particular leader or ideology. Marx sought revolution in
capitalist countries, so the citizen would want to transfer control of the means of production from
the bourgeois to the proletarian. However, Trotskys focus on a peasant countrys revolution
means that his perfect citizen would emphasize becoming a working class citizen instead of a
peasant. The class and party roles of Leninism would cause that citizen to become and active
party member to better serve the revolution. Again, Stalins goals are the most unique because he
rose to power when communism had already been established in the Soviet Union. As such, he
sought complete control over the Soviet Union, and he desired Soviet hegemony over the entire
world. Therefore, Stalins Ideal Soviet obeyed his every command and made no attempt to
threaten the stability of his rule.
The Ideal Soviet was never a universal concept. As the idea of communism changed, so
did the concept of the perfect communist. This concept also changed as the goals of the Soviet
Union changed. It morphed from a theoretical concept into reality and then oppression. Each
stage created a different image that the state desired every citizen to match. These were all
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different, but a common core collectivist concept remained, and that citizen, the one who
followed the Moral Code of the Builder, would at least be acceptable in all ideologies.


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Works Cited
Budenz, Louis F.. The techniques of communism. Chicago: H. Regnery Co., 1954. Print.
Corrigan, Philip Richard D., Harvie Ramsay, and Derek Sayer. Socialist construction and
Marxist theory: Bolshevism and its critique. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1978.
Print.
Hook, Sidney. Marx and the Marxists; the ambiguous legacy.. Princeton, N.J.: Van Nostrand,
1955. Print.
Hudson, Geoffrey Francis. Fifty years of communism: theory and practice, 1917-1967. New
York: Basic Books, 1968. Print.
Richter, Andrei. "post soviet perspective on censocship and freedom of the media." International
Communication Gazette 70 (2008): 307-325. Sage Journals. Web. 13 Nov. 2018.