The first half of the nineteenth century became a peculiar era of growing up of the Russian social movement. At this time, the country was ruled by Nicholas I (1825-1855). During this period, the positions of the most popular political camps are finalized. A monarchist theory is being formed, and a liberal movement is emerging. The circle of leaders in 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 first. 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. Government indifference to these new trends and the struggle of power circles with the freedom of manifestation of living thoughts became a catalyst that released dangerous and very powerful forces.
The social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 and social life
Like any direction of philosophical and political thought, free thinking in Russia was characterized by certain traits that are characteristic only of this period of time. The social movement during the reign of Nicholas I developed under the conditions of an authoritarian and extremely tough regime, which thwarted any attempts to express their 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 the search for new ways to improve the philosophical spirit.
The realization is beginning to come that it is necessary to attract the broad masses of the population, including peasants, 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 subsequently the raznoshintsy joined it. In these years, the formation of completely new trends. These are Slavophiles, Westerners and Narodniks. The theory of official nationality has become very popular . All these concepts fit into the norms and principles of liberalism, conservatism, socialism and nationalism.
Since the opportunity to express one’s opinion was freely lacking, the social movement in the era of the reign of Nicholas 1 acquired mainly the form of circles. People were secretly made aware of the place and time of the meeting, and for admission to society it was required to name one or another password, which was constantly changing. Much more important than in previous eras, acquired painting, art and literary criticism. It was at this time that a distinct interconnection of power and culture was observed.
The German philosophers Hegel, Fichte and Schelling had a huge impact on social thought. It was they who became the progenitors of many political trends in Russia.
Features of public 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 strength of the intelligentsia was extremely weakened. After the brutal massacre of the Decembrists, the social movement in Russia under Nikolai 1 practically stopped. The whole color 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 young generation was grouped. It was then that Schellingism became increasingly popular.
Reasons for social movements
Like any social movement, this direction had its own good reasons. They became the reluctance of the authorities to recognize that 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.
The main directions of movement
The defeat of the Decembrists and the introduction of a regime of repression led only to a temporary lull. The social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 even more revived after a few years. The centers of development of philosophical thought were the St. Petersburg and Moscow salons, circles of officials and officers, as well as higher education institutions, Moscow University in the first place. Magazines such as Moskvityanin and Vestnik Evropy are becoming increasingly popular. The social movement during the reign of Nicholas 1 had three distinct and divided branches. This is conservatism, liberalism and radicalism.
Conservative direction
The social movement in the era of the reign of Nicholas 1 was associated with the development of several political and social movements. Conservatism in our country was based on the theory of autocracy and the need for hard rule. The importance of serfdom was also emphasized. These ideas arose in the 16-17th centuries and reached their peak at the beginning of the 19th century. Conservatism acquired a special sound when absolutism was practically finished in the West. So, Karamzin wrote that autocracy should be unshakable.
This course became very common after the bloody massacre of the Decembrists. In order to give conservatism an ideological status, Count Uvarov (Minister of Education) developed the theory of official nationality. In it, the autocracy was recognized as the only possible and true form of government in Russia. Serfdom was considered good for the people and for the state as a whole. From all this, a logical conclusion was drawn that no changes and transformations are needed. This theory has caused sharp criticism among the intelligentsia. Strong oppositionists were P. Chaadaev, N. Nadezhdin and others.
Liberal direction
In the period between the 30-40s of the 19th century, a new trend arose, which became the opposite of conservatism. Liberalism was conditionally divided into two camps: Slavophiles and Westerners. The ideologists of the first trend were I. and K. Aksakov, A. Khomyakov, Yu. Samarin and others. Among leading Westerners one can name such outstanding lawyers and philosophers as V. Botkin, P. Annenkov, K. Cavelin. Both of these areas were united by the desire to see Russia modern and civilized in the circle of European countries. Representatives of these movements considered it necessary to abolish 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, there were differences in these directions. So, the Slavophiles attached excessive importance to the identity of the Russian people. They considered pre-Petrine foundations to be an ideal form of government. Then the Zemsky Sobors conveyed to the sovereign the will of the people, and relations between the landowners and peasants were clearly established. The Slavophiles believed that the spirit of collectivism was naturally characteristic of Russian people, while individualism reigned in the West. They fought against the general idolatry of European trends.
The social 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 should catch up with it by leaps and bounds. They considered universal education to be the only true way of enlightenment.
Revolutionary movement
Small circles appeared in Moscow, where, unlike the northern capital, espionage, censorship and denunciations were not so developed. Their members supported the ideas of the Decembrists and deeply experienced reprisals against them. They distributed freedom-loving pamphlets and caricatures. So, on the day of the coronation of Nicholas, representatives of the circle of the Cretan brothers scattered leaflets across Red Square that called on the people to freedom. The 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. Again, political circles began to arise. By the name of one of their leaders, Butashevich-Petrashevsky, this current was named. The circles included such outstanding personalities as F. Dostoevsky, M. Saltykov-Shchedrin, etc. Petrashevtsy condemned absolutism and advocated the development of democracy.
The circle was opened in 1849, more than 120 people were involved in the investigation, of which 21 were sentenced to death.