Early Soviet experience of social mobilization: History for theory

The phenomenon of social mobilization, being the subject of interdisciplinary research in the social sciences and humanities, increases the number of research problems, the main of which is the gap between theory and empiricism. There is no conventional agreement in determining its essential characteristics; the status of theoretical concepts of mobilization is not defined; research results in social studies are either not in demand, or poorly and fragmentarily adapted to the purposes of historical research. The paper reviews the experience of domestic historians with the concept of social mobilization in researching problems of the early Soviet society (resources-based, region-based and functionally oriented approaches), the prospects for converting the mobilization phenomenon into one of the key historical and civilizational features of the nationhood. The achievements and limitations of every approach realized by historians in large collective works during last five years have been re-vealed. Approach suggested by the author provides consideration of social mobilization as a crucial characteristic of the Bolshevik regime along with ideocracy and conservatism. Top-priority range of issues is outlined for the study of the structural, functional and pragmatist aspects of the mobilization phenomenon. Highlighted argumentative points include: nature, boundaries, forms, scales and consequences of translating mobilization practices into politics, economics, culture, relationship between modernization and mobilization processes, the influence of traditionalism.