Russian intelligentsia and the International Co-operative Movement

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The aim of this research is to understand the early Russian co-operative ideas and movement from the point of view of comparative study with the European co-operative ideas and movements.Russian modern co-operative movements were started mainly by the intelligentsia in 1860s.In this research, three pioneering Russian co-operative leaders are presented. One of them, N.G.Chernyshevsky (1828-1889) was a socialist and the editor of the radical journal "Sovremennik". The introductory essay on the Rochidale Equitable Pioneers Society, which was printed in the journal in April 1860, is treated in this research as evidence of deep sympathy of Russian radicals to the English peoples' association. Chernyshevskys' novel, what to be done? followed the essay in 1863 and agitated many young intellectuals to join the early co-operative movement in Russia.N.P.Ballin (1829-1904) was a half-fogotton pioneer of the Russo-Ukrainian co-operative movement and the representative of the Khar'kov co-operative to the First British Co-operative Congress in London in 1869. He was introduced in this research as the first to propose the organization of the international co-operative network to the English co-operative leaders who realized his ideas in 1895.A.I.Vashilichikov's address on the Russian People's Credit Association at the Russian Free Economic Society in April 1872, was analyzed in this research as the document showing his co-operative ideas which were influenced by Schulze-Delizsch's ideas and the Luginin brothers' practise, and improved as a suitable co-operative form for the Russian village economy.The researcher also tried to follow the historical process of the development and decline of Russian and Soviet co-operatives in some articles and lectures mainly from the point of view of the history of social thought.