The "Russian Idea" (russian: Русская идея, Russkaya ideya) is a set of concepts expressing the historical uniqueness, special vocation and global purpose of the
Russian people
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118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
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and, by extension, of the
Russian state
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
. The Russian Idea acquired a distinct relevance after the
dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
and the spiritual vacuum that followed the event.
Russian philosopher Arseny Gulyga wrote in 2003: "Today the Russian Idea first of all sounds like a call for a
national rebirth
Palingenesis (; also palingenesia) is a concept of rebirth or re-creation, used in various contexts in philosophy, theology, politics, and biology. Its meaning stems from Greek , meaning 'again', and , meaning 'birth'.
In biology, it is anothe ...
and preserving this material and spiritual rebirth of Russia. The Russian Idea is as relevant today as ever, for humanity (and not only Russia) has come to the edge of an abyss.
..The Russian Idea is part of the all-human
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
idea arranged in terms of modern
dialectic
Dialectic ( grc-gre, διαλεκτική, ''dialektikḗ''; related to dialogue; german: Dialektik), also known as the dialectical method, is a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing ...
s".
History
It is supposed that the Russian Idea formed in the 16th century and was expressed in the idea of
Orthodox Christian
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...
(the idea of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
being the
Third Rome
The continuation, succession and revival of the Roman Empire is a running theme of the history of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. It reflects the lasting memories of power and prestige associated with the Roman Empire itself.
Several politi ...
by
Philotheus of Pskov
Philotheus (or Filofei) () (1465–1542) was a hegumen of the Yelizarov Monastery, near Pskov, in the 16th century. He is credited with authorship of the '' Legend of the White Cowl'' and the Moscow - Third Rome prophecy, details of which are ve ...
). At the same time the source of the Russian Idea is supposed to have originated in the Jewish
messianism
Messianism is the belief in the advent of a messiah who acts as the savior of a group of people. Messianism originated as a Zoroastrianism religious belief and followed to Abrahamic religions, but other religions have messianism-related concepts ...
.
The question of Russia's uniqueness and the vocation of the Russian people and state was first put forth by philosopher
Pyotr Chaadayev
Pyotr or Petr Yakovlevich Chaadayev (russian: Пётр Я́ковлевич Чаада́ев; also spelled Chaadaev, or Čaadajev; 7 June 7 May Old Style">Old_Style.html" ;"title="7 May Old Style">7 May Old Style1794 – 26 April 4 April O.S.
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
...
, however he did not give this question a positive answer.
Slavophils suggested to Chaadayev their own versions of an answer (with criticism of
Westernisation
Westernization (or Westernisation), also Europeanisation or occidentalization (from the ''Occident''), is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, science, education, politics, economi ...
and an apology of
Orthodox Christianity
Orthodoxy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Late antiquity, A ...
).
The very term "Russian Idea" was introduced by
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
in the year 1860 and became known abroad after the report named "L'Idée russe" given by philosopher
Vladimir Solovyov in Paris in 1888. Russian philosopher Arseny Gulyga wrote: "Dostoevsky's version of the Russian Idea is a concept of universal morality having a patriotic form.
The term was widely used by Russian philosophers such as
Evgenii Nikolaevitch Troubetzkoy
Prince Evgenii Nikolaevitch Troubetzkoy (russian: Евге́ний Никола́евич Трубецко́й; 5 October 1863 – 5 February 1920) was a Russian philosopher and a follower of Vladimir Solovyov. He was the son of Prince Nikolai P ...
,
Vasily Rozanov
Vasily Vasilievich Rozanov (russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Рóзанов; – 5 February 1919) was one of the most controversial Russian writers and important philosophers in the symbolists' of the pre-revolutionary epoch ...
, Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov,
Semyon Frank
Semyon Lyudvigovich Frank (russian: Семён Лю́двигович Франк; 28 January 1877 – 10 December 1950) was a Russian philosopher. Born into a Jewish family, he became a Christian in 1912. Early life and studies
Semyon Lyudvigov ...
,
Georgy Fedotov
Georgy Petrovich Fedotov (russian: Гео́ргий Петро́вич Федо́тов, October 1 (13) 1886, Saratov, Russian Empire, – September 1, 1951, New York, US) was a Russian religious philosopher, historian, essayist, author of many bo ...
,
Lev Platonovich Karsavin. In its most correct form, the "Russian Idea" concept is defined through ideas of philosophers and thinkers of the turn of the 20th century, such as
Nikolai Berdyaev
Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev (; russian: Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Бердя́ев; – 24 March 1948) was a Russian Empire, Russian philosopher, theologian, and Christian existentialism, Christian existentialist who e ...
,
Vladimir Solovyov,
Ivan Ilyin
Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin or Il'in (Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Ильи́н, – 21 December 1954) was a Russian jurist, a dogmatic religious and political philosopher, an orator and conservative monarchist. He perceived the Febru ...
,
Nikolay Danilevsky
Nikolay Yakovlevich Danilevsky (russian: Никола́й Я́ковлевич Даниле́вский; 28 November 1822 – 7 November 1885) was a Russian Empire naturalist, economist, ethnologist, philosopher, historian and ideologue of Pan- ...
, and also modern thinkers like Victor Vladimirovich Aksyutich, Arseny Gulaga and
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repress ...
. Their works emphasise the importance of this concept, its "cementing" quality for the Russian people.
Modern Russian writer
Victor Pelevin
Victor Olegovich Pelevin ( rus, Виктор Олегович Пелевин, p=ˈvʲiktər ɐˈlʲɛɡəvʲɪtɕ pʲɪˈlʲevʲɪn; born 22 November 1962) is a Russian fiction writer. His novels include ''Omon Ra'' (1992), ''The Life of Insects ...
has his own view of the idea, and in its fullest form this view is detailed in his novel ''
Generation "П"
''Generation " П"/P'' is the third novel by Russian author Victor Pelevin. Published in 1999, it tells the story of Babylen Tatarsky, a Moscow 'creative' and advertising copywriter. The story deals with themes of post-Soviet Russia, consume ...
''.
According to the adherents of the concept, the Russian Idea expresses "God's plan for Russia", i.e. a
sacred
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
and, often,
eschatological
Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that negati ...
mission of the Russian people and state.
[According to the current ]Constitution of the Russian Federation
The Constitution of the Russian Federation () was adopted by national referendum on 12 December 1993. Russia's constitution came into force on 25 December 1993, at the moment of its official publication, and abolished the Soviet system of gov ...
, the Russian Federation is a secular state
A secular state is an idea pertaining to secularity, whereby a State (polity), state is or purports to be officially neutral in matters of religion, supporting neither religion nor irreligion. A secular state claims to treat all its citizens ...
with separation of church and state
The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
:
Article 14
1. The Russian Federation is a secular state. No religion may be established as a state or obligatory one.
2. Religious associations shall be separated from the State and shall be equal before the law.
The Russian Idea contains inside it the idea of the Russian people and state being a "God-carrier". The
universality and
sobornost
Sobornost ( rus, собо́рность, p=sɐˈbornəstʲ "spiritual community of many jointly-living people") is a Russian term whose usage is primarily attributed to the 19th-century Slavophile Russian writers Ivan Kireyevsky (1806-1856) ...
of the Russian Idea is emphasised by this fact. The adherents of the Russian Idea strongly believe that Russia has a global purpose and is important for the overall Christian salvation.
Criticism
Geopolitical aspect
Some thinkers (Aleksandr Lvovich Yanov, 1988) believe that behind the Russian Idea there are hidden
geopolitical
Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...
ambitions, together with the ideology of the Russian great-power
chauvinism
Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotis ...
and
imperialism
Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...
.
In opposition to the viewpoints similar to that of Yanov and of an article from
Kommunist
''Kommunist'' (Russian: Коммунист), named ''Bolshevik'' (Большевик) until 1952, was a Soviet journal. The journal was started in 1924. The founders were Nikolai Bukharin, Georgy Pyatakov, and Yevgenia Bosch. It was the official ...
, Arseny Gulyga wrote that it was no wonder that the views of the anticommunist and the postcommunist coincide, because "in both cases there is a desire to defame the spiritual history of Russia".
Relationship between state and society
There is an opinion that the main contradiction between the Russian Idea and
the West
West is a cardinal direction or compass point.
West or The West may also refer to:
Geography and locations
Global context
* The Western world
* Western culture and Western civilization in general
* The Western Bloc, countries allied with NATO ...
lies in the domain of relationships between society and state.
[«What Russia wants: From cold war to hot war»](_blank)
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
, Feb 14th 2015 While in the West a historically presented, principle has been "state for people”, the Russian principle is “people united, living and sacrificing for the bigger good”. Some remark that the
sacred
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
status of the state was a characteristic feature of both the Soviet and the Imperial period of the Russian history.
See also
*
American exceptionalism
American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is inherently different from other nations.[Manifest destiny
Manifest destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America.
There were three basic tenets to the concept:
* The special vir ...](_blank)
*
Eurocentrism
Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism)
is a worldview that is centered on Western civilization or a biased view that favors it over non-Western civilizations. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western worl ...
*
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropology—as well as in colloquial English discourse—means to apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
* Berdyaev, Nikolai Alexandrovic
''The Russian Idea''(1948, originally published in Russian in 1946)
* {{cite book, last = Gulyga , first=Arseny Vladimirovich , chapter = Глава 4. «Я видел истину» (Достоевский), script-title =ru: Русская идея и ее творцы , location= М. , date = 2003 , publisher=
Эксмо
Eksmo (russian: Эксмо) is one of the largest publishing houses in Russia. Eksmo and AST (which it later acquired in 2012) together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books.
Established in 1991 as a small book-selling company, Eksmo gr ...
, pages = 106–107, isbn = 5-699-02718-1 , language=ru
Ideologies
Russian philosophy
Russian nationalism