Ayn Rand's Contribution To The Bolshevik Revolution

In a world where books are available at the click of a mouse, it is often times easy to overlook the value of writing with conviction and purpose. Many authors have established themselves as strongly opinionated and emphatic wordsmiths, but few have had the success that Ayn Rand, the writer turned philosopher, had in the mid-20th century. Critics would argue that her books were lengthy and oftentimes confusing, but her clear cut themes and blatant attacks on major facets of liberalism in the United States have made her a champion of the conservative movement and a symbol for this new wave of economics. By examining her philosophy, life, and impact on economics in the U.S., it shall be determined as to whether or not her contributions to society
Chernyshevsky, like Rand, wrote fictional novels with prominent undertones that displayed a very specific message. In his crowning work What Is to Be Done? Some Stories about the New People, we are told a tale of a young lady who discovers the triumphs of a communal system and the implicit autonomy such a system can provide. Aside from that, the book is littered with words such as “egoism” and “rational” that immediately provide basis for a substantial counter-argument. The idea of what is truly rational is largely up to the reader himself not the author. What one reader deems rational may be the complete opposite of another. Chernyshevsky’s tale of triumph was littered with revolutionary undertones that prompted many of Russia’s high profile political leaders, namely Vladimir Lenin, to push for a new regime. Chernyshevsky did garner support from many Russian revolutionaries, but his book was also heavily criticized for its stylistic failures and ability to propagate radicalism within
Both revolutionaries were extremely controversial in their respective fields, but had an enormous impact on the lives and philosophies of others. Chernyshevsky in essence, stimulated the Bolshevik revolution, while Rand herself was crucial to the foundation of modern conservatism in the U.S. The two authors had radically different views, but share many similarities because of their integral role in the social landscape of the world. Chernyshevsky’s impact was so great that he himself indirectly stimulated Rand’s work as a radical philosopher and