This article investigates the colony Joseon’s intelligentsia’s perceptions
of the Russian Revolution of 1917 in the public realms during 1920~
1937. Generally, the Intelligentsia’s perceptions of Russian Revolution
divided positively and negatively. The former is mainly socialist
intelligentsia. They considers the Russian Revolution as the hope of
liberation from oppression and an example of an model of new state.
The rest is non-socialist or nationalist-right intelligentsia. For them,
the Russian Revolution provokes fear. For this reason, they denounces
scathingly the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Society as ‘unnatural’
act and ‘an act contrary to morality’.
Nevertheless, both reflects ‘the coloniality of knowledge’. Socialist
intelligentsia follows the Russia’s opinion, especially, the Stalinist
interpretation. This distorted the national liberation movement, and
also dealt a blow to the socialist movement. Non-socialist or nationalist
right accept that Japanese Imperialism inculcated the mass with the
negative or critic idea on Russian Revolution. All this has an great
influence on the colonial intellectuals, which I think refracted history
of Korean modern thoughts in the result.
Although there are limits, their’s perception is no lower than
nowadays. Rather than it is profound and enthusiastic. Their’s a
critical mind is our an open question. In this regard history is live,
and we should to reassessment the Russian Revolution generally and
thoroughly. For these reasons, therefore, the Russian Revolution can
still be seen as being of world historical significance in the
twenty-first century.