A Soviet Proto-bourgeoisie: Genesis of the Upper Class of Russian Society

Abstract

In the article the authors define the three stages in the genesis of a proto-bourgeoisie: 1917 — 1920s, 1930s — early 1960s, mid-1960s — 1991. The first stage was characterized by the initial formation of a new class, a key role for which was nomenklatura system that outlined professional contours of the new elite. The second stage was latent aging of this class, characterized by consolidation and corporatism. The restructuring of the Party apparatus according to the production-branch principle in the 1930s required professionalization and Party management. In the second stage, this class staked out its share in society, main groups emerged, and the logic of its action developed in a system of state capitalism with divided rights of ownership. In the third stage, the developing proto-bourgeoisie gained strength in awareness and realization of its class interests. A special role in this process was played by the economic reform of 1965, which increased the role of the block of organizational managers. The third stage was marked by a crisis of proto-bourgeois class interests associated with the desire for full possession of property. This conflict was resolved by the revolution of 1991, which made it possible to privatize state property, leading to the completion of the formation of a new upper class and its transformation from proto-class to real bourgeoisie.