The first half of the nineteenth century became a kind of epoch of maturation of the Russian social movement. At this time, the country was ruled by Nicholas I (1825-1855). In this period, the positions of the most popular political camps are finally concretized. Monarchist theory is being formed, and a liberal movement is also emerging. The circle of leaders of revolutionary positions is expanding significantly.
The social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 said goodbye to the philosophy of fashion education as the basis of ideology. Hegelianism and Schellingism come to the fore. Of course, these German theories were applied taking into account the peculiarities of the Russian state and mentality. The revolutionaries not only mastered the utopian socialism that came from Europe, but also put forward their own idea of community. The indifference of the government to these new trends and the struggle of power circles with the freedom to express living thought became a catalyst that released dangerous and very powerful forces.
Social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 and social life
Like any direction of philosophical andpolitical thought, free-thinking in Russia was characterized by certain features peculiar only to this period of time. The social movement during the reign of Nicholas I developed under the conditions of an authoritarian and extremely rigid regime, which suppressed any attempts to express one's opinion. The movement took place under the significant influence of the Decembrists. The idea of the first noble revolutionaries and their bitter, tragic experience, on the one hand, disappointed, and on the other, inspired them to search for new ways to improve the philosophical spirit.
The realization that it is necessary to attract the broad masses of the population, including peasants, begins to come, because the main goal of all movements was the equality of all classes. The social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 was started mainly by the nobles, but later the raznochintsy also joined it. During these years, completely new trends were formed. These are Slavophiles, Westerners and Narodniks. The theory of official nationality became very popular. All these concepts fit into the norms and principles of liberalism, conservatism, socialism and nationalism.
Since there was no opportunity to express one's opinion freely, the social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 acquired mainly the form of circles. People secretly agreed on the place and time of the meeting, and for a pass to the society it was required to name one or another password, which was constantly changing. Much more important than in previous eras, painting, art and literary criticism acquired. It was at this timethere was a clear relationship between power and culture.
The German philosophers Hegel, Fichte and Schelling had a great influence on social thought. It was they who became the progenitors of many political trends in Russia.
Peculiarities of social life in the 30-50s of the nineteenth century
If we consider this period, it should be noted that after the events of December 14, 1825, the power of the intelligentsia was extremely weakened. After the cruel massacre of the Decembrists, the social movement in Russia under Nicholas 1 practically stopped. The entire flower of the Russian intelligentsia was either defeated or sent to Siberia. Only ten years later, the first university circles began to appear, in which the younger generation was grouped. It was then that Schellingism became more and more popular.
Causes of social movements
Like any social movement, this direction had its weighty reasons. They were the unwillingness of the authorities to admit that the time has changed and it is no longer possible to stand still, as well as strict censorship and the suppression of any resistance, even expressed peacefully.
Main directions of movement
The defeat of the Decembrists and the introduction of the regime of repression led only to a temporary lull. The social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 revived even more a few years later. Petersburg and Moscow salons, circles of officials and officers, as well as higher educational institutions, Moscow University in the first place, became centers for the development of philosophical thought. Getting more and more popularsuch magazines as Moskvityanin and Vestnik Evropy. The social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 had three clearly defined and divided branches. These are conservatism, liberalism and radicalism.
Conservative direction
The public movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 was associated with the development of several political and social movements. Conservatism in our country was based on theories of autocracy and the need for strict government. The importance of serfdom was also emphasized. These ideas arose as early as the 16th and 17th centuries and reached their apogee at the beginning of the 19th century. Conservatism acquired a special sound when absolutism was practically done away with in the West. Thus, Karamzin wrote that the autocracy must be unshakable.
This trend became very widespread after the massacre of the Decembrists. In order to give conservatism an ideological status, Count Uvarov (Minister of National Education) developed the theory of official nationality. It recognized autocracy as the only possible and correct form of government in Russia. Serfdom was considered a blessing both for the people and for the state as a whole. From all this, a logical conclusion was made that no changes and transformations were needed. This theory provoked sharp criticism among the intelligentsia. P. Chaadaev, N. Nadezhdin and others became ardent oppositionists.
Liberal direction
During the period between the 30s and 40s of the 19th century, a new trend was born, which becamethe opposite of conservatism. Liberalism was conditionally divided into two camps: Slavophiles and Westernizers. The ideologists of the first direction were I. and K. Aksakov, A. Khomyakov, Yu. Samarin and others. Among the leading Westerners one can name such outstanding lawyers and philosophers as V. Botkin, P. Annenkov, K. Kavelin. Both of these directions were united by the desire to see Russia modern and civilized in the circle of European countries. Representatives of these movements considered necessary the abolition of serfdom and the allocation of small plots of land to the peasants, the introduction of a constitutional monarchy and freedom of speech. Fearing reprisals, both Westerners and Slavophiles hoped that the state itself would carry out these transformations.
Features of the two currents of liberalism
Of course, these directions had differences. Thus, the Slavophiles attached excessive importance to the originality of the Russian people. They considered the pre-Petrine foundations to be the ideal form of government. Then the Zemsky Sobors conveyed to the sovereign the will of the people, and there were well-established relations between the landlords and peasants. The Slavophiles believed that the spirit of collectivism was inherent in the Russian people, while individualism reigned in the West. They fought against the wholesale idolatry of European trends.
The public movement under Nicholas I was also represented by Westerners, who, on the contrary, believed that it was necessary to adopt the best practices of developed countries. They criticized the Slavophiles, arguing that Russia lags behind Europe in many ways and must catch up with it by leaps and bounds. The only truethrough enlightenment they considered universal education.
Revolutionary movement
Small circles arose in Moscow, where, unlike the northern capital, espionage, censorship and denunciations were not so strongly developed. Their members supported the ideas of the Decembrists and deeply experienced the massacre of them. They distributed freedom-loving pamphlets and cartoons. So, on the day of the coronation of Nicholas, representatives of the circle of the Cretan brothers scattered leaflets around Red Square calling on the people to freedom. Activists of this organization were imprisoned for 10 years, and then forced to perform military service.
Petrashevtsy
In the 40s of the 19th century, the social movement was marked by a significant revival. Political circles began to spring up again. By the name of one of their leaders, Butashevich-Petrashevsky, this movement was named. The circles included such prominent personalities as F. Dostoevsky, M. S altykov-Shchedrin, etc. The Petrashevites condemned absolutism and advocated the development of democracy.
The circle was opened in 1849, more than 120 people were involved in the investigation, 21 of them were sentenced to death.
