Boris Chagin
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikitia's general notability guideline. |
Boris Chagin | |
|---|---|
| Add a Photo | |
| Born | March 22, 1899 Moscow |
| Died | December 10, 1987 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Alma mater | Institute of Red Professors |
| Occupation |
|
Boris Alexandrovich Chagin (Russian: Борис Александрович Чагин; 22 March [O.S. 10 March] 1899 – 10 December 1987) was a Soviet philosopher, academic, and specialist in Marxist-Leninist philosophy, historical materialism, and the history of sociology.
Biography
Early life and education
Chagin was born in Moscow in 1899. He joined the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1920 and was actively involved in the Russian Civil War, notably participating in suppressing the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921. In 1923, he graduated from the Historical Department of the Military-Pedagogical School in Leningrad. He later completed studies at the Institute of Red Professors in philosophy in 1931.
Academic and teaching career
Chagin began teaching Marxism-Leninism to Red Army members and at the Leningrad branch of the Communist Academy in 1922. In 1940, he was elected Dean of the Philosophy Faculty at Leningrad State University (LSU). During World War II, he joined the people's militia in 1941. After the war, he headed philosophy departments at both the Military-Medical Academy and LSU.
He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1946 and was promoted to full professor in 1948. From 1963, Chagin served as a senior researcher and later chaired the Department of Philosophy at the USSR Academy of Sciences' Leningrad branch. He contributed as an editor to Vestnik LSU and served on the editorial boards of Voprosy Filosofii and Nauchnye Doklady Vysshei Shkoly. Filosofskie Nauki.
Party affiliation and ideological stance
A long-standing member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union since 1920, Chagin defended the Stalinist philosophical line during the 1930s. He was among the few faculty members to avoid repression following the purge of the Leningrad Institute of Philosophy staff.
Honors and awards
- Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1960) – Department of Economic, Philosophical, and Legal Sciences
- Order of Lenin, Order of the October Revolution, Order of the Red Banner, and other decorations, including the Medals "For the Defence of Leningrad" and "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
- G. V. Plekhanov Prize (1973), awarded by the USSR Academy of Sciences for his scholarly works on the Leninist stage of Marxist philosophy and the heritage of Georgi Plekhanov
Major works
Chagin authored numerous influential publications, including:
| Title (English translation) | Original Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophical and Sociological Views of Franz Mehring | 1934[1] | The Leninist Stage in the Development of Marxist Philosophy | 1960 |
| Lenin on the Role of the Subjective Factor in History | 1967[2] | ||
| Subjective Factor: Structure and Regularities | 1968 | ||
| Outline of the History of Sociological Thought in the USSR (1917–1969) | 1971 | ||
| Plekhanov and His Role in the Development of Marxist Philosophy | 1963 |
Chagin also edited volumes of Georgi Plekhanov's selected philosophical works (1956–1958, 1973–1974) and contributed to multi-volume histories, including History of Philosophy and History of the CPSU.
Legacy
Chagin was a pivotal figure in Soviet philosophical academia, illuminating the evolution of Marxist-Leninist thought through the lens of Vladimir Lenin and Georgi Plekhanov. He is particularly noted for his analyses of the subjective factor in history and the ideological development of Soviet sociology. His editorial leadership helped preserve and shape the dissemination of classical Marxist heritage.
He died in Leningrad on 10 December 1987, leaving a robust body of scholarly contributions to Soviet and Marxist philosophy.
References
- ↑ "koob.ru/chagin_b". Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ↑ "Чагин, Борис Александрович - Ленин о роли субъективного фактора в истории". Russian State Library. 1967. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
External links
This article "Boris Chagin" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.