“Russo-Japanese conflict due to Manchu-Korean adventure” (M. Gorky on the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905)

Abstract

In this article, we observe the evolution of Gorky’s views on the events of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). From the beginning, he perceived it as an antinational, cruel, and pointless event. In his letters to relatives and friends, Gorky exposed the predatory nature of this “adventure” and false official propaganda. The writer attentively studied books about China and Japan, intensified his publishing activities, trying to acquaint his readers with literature and history of the Eastern countries. He did not support the policy of incitement of hatred towards Japan, and was opposed to the complex of “civilized supremacy” of Europeans. 6 years later, in his short story “Complaints” (1911), Gorky returned to the events of the Russo-Japanese War, but he gave them a completely different interpretation. The writer’s attention was focused on the “Russian Question”: using the example of the attitude of soldiers towards war, he critically evaluated such qualities of the Russian psyche as passivism and fatalism. In his novel “The Life of Klim Samgin”, the Russo-Japanese War becomes the catalyst of the collapse of the Russian state. This was expressed in bright artistic techniques in Gorky’s depiction of the demonstration on the Palace Square on January 30, 1904 and the mobilization of the replacement troops in Staraya Rousse. Depending on ideological tasks, the attitude towards the Russo-Japanese War and its covering changed. Gorky moved towards ideological and philosophical generalizations and considered the Russo-Japanese War in a historical perspective.