Bolshevism, from Class Ideology to Imperialist Ideology. The Ukrainian Case

Abstract

The article deals with the transformation of Bolshevism from a class ideology into an imperialist ideology. At the same time, an attempt was made to consider this problem in the Ukrainian context. The authors analyzed the essence of the Russian autocratic state as a despotic empire. It has been established that a particular goal of Russian imperialism was to keep Ukraine under its rule. It is emphasized that the Bolshevik regime continued the policy of neo-imperial expansionism. Particular attention is paid to forming the Ukrainian national-political identity under the conditions of Russian (Soviet) imperialism. The Bolshevik regime, in its totalitarianism, surpassed the imperial autocratic regime. At the same time, the Bolsheviks also sought to destroy the national identity of Ukrainians as much as possible. Keywords: Bolshevism, class ideology, imperialist ideology, Ukraine, expansionism, Bolshevik regime, national identity, despotism, neo-imperialism.