Bolshevism is a strand of communist thought that originated with Vladimir Lenin in early 20th-century Russia. Bolshevists believed that capitalist governments must be overthrown via an organized, disciplined group of revolutionaries who would then establish a “dictatorship of the proletariat.” In 1920, when Lady Chatterley’s Lover begins, Bolshevism had just caught fire in Russia, overtaking the Tsar’s government in the various revolutions of 1917. To Oliver Mellors, Bolshevism is the most mechanical—and therefore threatening—of all political philosophies. But to Tommy Dukes, Bolshevist communism is just a more honest version of capitalism, as it acknowledges the machinery of wealth and labor instead of trying to obscure it.
Bolshevism Quotes in Lady Chatterley’s Lover
The Lady Chatterley’s Lover quotes below are all either spoken by Bolshevism or refer to Bolshevism. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 7
Quotes
“There might even be real men, in the next phase,” said Tommy. “Real, intelligent, wholesome men, and wholesome nice women! Wouldn't that be a change, an enormous change from us? We're not men, and the women aren't women. Or only celebrating makeshifts, mechanical and intellectual experiments.”
“Give me the resurrection of the body!” said Dukes. “But it'll come in time, when we've shoved the cerebral stone away a bit, the money and the rest. Then we'll get a democracy of touch, instead of a democracy of pocket.”
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Bolshevism Term Timeline in Lady Chatterley’s Lover
The timeline below shows where the term Bolshevism appears in Lady Chatterley’s Lover. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
The conversation turns to Bolshevism, which Dukes believes is the most mechanical philosophy of all; in both Bolshevism and capitalist...
(full context)
Chapter 9
Clifford begins to worry that the people of Tevershall will turn to Bolshevism, egged on by poor economic conditions and their love of spending. Mrs. Bolton, however, puts...
(full context)
Chapter 14
Connie again looks around the room, noticing Mellors’s books: he has works on Bolshevist Russia, on atoms and electrons and the causes of earthquakes, and even some novels. Connie...
(full context)
