:
For the coffee shop company, often called Intelligentsia, for short, see Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea.The
intelligentsia (from
Russian: интеллигенция from
Latin:
intelligentia) is a
social class of people engaged in complex mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of
culture, encompassing
intellectuals and
social groups close to them (e.g.,
artists and
school teachers). The term has been borrowed from the
Russian language, a transliteration of "интеллигенция". Initially the term was applied mostly in the context of
Russia and later
Soviet Union, and had a narrower meaning based on a self-definition of a certain category of intellectuals.
History of the notion
The notion of an intellectual elite as a distinguished social stratum can be traced far back in history. Examples are the philosopher-kings and
guardians of
Plato's
Republic and
monks in medieval Europe, who are now seen as custodians of history and culture.
Use of the term
"intelligentsia" is first reported to have occurred in the
Russian Empire in the first half of the 19th century. For example, the word was casually used in the diaries of
Vasily Zhukovsky, dated to 1836. In
Poland, or more precisely in
Greater Poland (which then was a part of the
Kingdom of Prussia) the term was popularised in a sense close to the present one by Polish
philosopher Karol Libelt, and became widespread in Polish science after the publication of his
O miłości ojczyzny (
On Love of the Motherland) in 1844, in which he defines "inteligencja" to be those well-educated members of the population who undertake to lead the people as scholars, teachers, clergy, engineers, and
who guide for the reason of their higher enlightenment. The term was also popularised by a Russian writer,
Pyotr Boborykin, in the 1860s, who proclaimed himself the "godfather" of the notion in 1904. From there it came into
English and several other languages. In
English this word is often applied to the "intelligentsia" in
Central European and
Eastern European countries in the 19th and 20th centuries. The distinction was based on the economic and cultural situation of intellectuals in these countries and is different from that in
Western Europe or
North America.
The emergence of elite classes of intellectuals or well-educated people had been observed in other European countries (e.g.,
"intellectuels" in
France and
"Gebildete" in
Germany).
However, there were important distinctions observed in the lands of the Russian Empire. These differences were caused by various historical processes, whose influence still is disputed by historians. The presence of long-lasting autocratic regimes or national suppression in this region, or a low level of general education in these countries in the 19th century, are among these. This situation motivated local intellectuals to elaborate a system of common values and a sense of mutual sympathy.
Poland
After the
Partitions of Poland, Polish society remained divided into
nobles—the surprisingly numerous class known as szlachta—and
peasants. The political and cultural influence of the cities was small in relation to Western Europe, though this influence was growing. The need for educated specialists created a new class of educated people: hired professionals, such as clerks, physicians, and lawyers. They were recruited mainly from among former nobles, but increasingly from the urbanized classes.
The Polish intelligentsia specifically was considered the backbone of the modern Polish nation. Members of the intelligentsia were well aware of their social status and of their duties, of which working for the country and
patriotism were considered the most important. A considerable part of the Polish intelligentsia was killed by both Germans and Soviets during
World War II.
Today, the notion of the Polish intelligentsia has eroded. This is due to widespread higher education, meaning that the educational isolation that formed the "intelligentsia" has ceased to exit. The values associated with intelligentsia, the values of an educated life, are strong in Polish society, though they are far less associated with a nationalistic movement today than in previous centuries.
Imperial Russia
Russian intelligentsia had a similar mixture of
messianism and intellectual elitism.
Russian Marxists' perspective
In the ideology of
Bolsheviks,
intelligentsia is not a real
class; its status is described by the Russian word
"prosloyka", which is normally translated as "
stratum" but in this context has a negative connotation.
In other words,
intelligentsia does not have a "real" place in the structure of the society: it is a midlayer between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.
Intelligentsia grows by means of "recruiting" from among the people of labor, but its produce, i.e., the produce of its intellectual labor is just a sort of
goods ordered and paid by the exploiter class. Hence its independence is a mere ideological illusion, and in fact
intelligentsia is by large a class of "lackeys" of
bourgeoisie and
landowners. While
de facto being an exploited category,
en masse it lacks the revolutionary drive. Ironically, this theory was put forth by the representatives of
intelligentsia itself, notably
Vladimir Lenin and
Leon Trotsky among many others. In particular, Lenin is famous for his caustic remark that "[the] intelligentsia is not the 'brain of the nation', it is the 'feces of the nation'".
Soviet Union
The
Russian Revolution polarized the Russian intelligentsia, together with all other strata of the society. Some of them emigrated, some joined the
White movement, some joined
Bolsheviks (and some were Bolsheviks from the very beginning), some tried to oppose Bolsheviks within the political framework of
Soviet Russia, some remained passive. Eventually Bolsheviks got rid of all opponents by various means ranging from forced deportation to execution. The remaining intelligentsia was supposed to serve "the cause of working class". While the importance of this class was not underestimated, it was treated with reservation.
In the late Soviet Union the term "intelligentsia" acquired a formal definition of mental and cultural workers. More specifically, there were categories of "scientific-technical intelligentsia" (научно-техническая интеллигенция) and "creative intelligentsia" (творческая интеллигенция). Teachers and lawyers were considered "intelligentsia" as well, but the corresponding adjectives to the word "intelligentsia" were used rarely.
Broader usage
Some authors use the term "intelligentsia" in reference to intellectuals and certain
upper middle class professionals, whose main task is to create and distribute knowledge.
[Ehrenreich, B. (1989). Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class. New York: Harper Collins]Max Weber considered intelligentsia to be a major category essentially distinct from other social categories, both in terms of attributes and interests. In his major work,
Economy and Society he used this term in arbitrary chronological and geographical frames, e.g., he wrote that "this Christian preoccupation with the formulation of dogmas was in
Antiquity particularly influenced by the distinctive character of 'intelligentsia', which was the product of
Greek education" When formulating major
social classes of his time, Weber combines intelligentsia with other social categories, e.g., he defines a major class consisting of "the propertyless intelligentsia and specialists (technicians, various kinds of white-collar employees, civil servants – possible with considerable social differences depending on the cost of their training)" and yet other "classes privileged through property and education".
See also
