"Criticism of bourgeois sociology" in Soviet Russia of the 1920s: the birth of a genre

The article discusses the real historical conditions and ideological prerequisites for the emergence of a special genre in Marxist sociology - "criticism of bourgeois sociology". The leader of the Bolshevik party and the founder of the Soviet state, V.I. Lenin, gave this criticism state-political significance, put forward its program, outlined its focus and set a pattern. Using concrete examples, he showed that the "principle of party affiliation" in philosophy is applicable as a universal methodology for suspecting and exposing ideological opponents. The causes are identified and the consequences of substituting doctrinal criticism with ideological unmasking initiated by V.I. Lenin are analyzed. The positive sociocultural functions of doctrinal criticism in essence are considered.