Pavel Nikolaevich Milyukov, whose biography, political activity and creativity are the subject of this review, was the most prominent and largest representative of Russian liberalism at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His career and historical works are indicative in the sense that they reveal the features of the development of the era of the given time, when our country experienced the most severe domestic and foreign political upheavals that changed the course of its development for the next century.
Some biography facts
Pavel Milyukov was born in 1859 in Moscow. He came from a noble family, received a good education at the Moscow gymnasium. Then he entered the Faculty of History and Philology at Moscow University, where he became interested in history. His teachers were Vinogradov and Klyuchevsky. The latter largely determined the interests of the future scientist, although later they diverged in their views on the history of Russia. Also at this time, he was greatly influenced by another prominent historian of the time in question - Soloviev. At the same time, Pavel Milyukov became interested in liberation ideas, for which he subsequently had trouble with the police.
Historical views
He was greatly influenced by the historical concepts of his teachers. However, even when choosing the topic of the master's thesis, the future historian diverged greatly with his teacher Klyuchevsky. Pavel Milyukov developed his own concept of Russian history. In his opinion, its development was determined by the action of several factors at once. He denied the principle of highlighting any one principle in determining the development trend of the historical process.
The scientist attached great importance to the topics of borrowing and national identity of peoples. He believed that normal development is possible in the context of the cultural dialogue of countries and peoples. Pavel Milyukov believed that the peculiarity of the history of Russia was that it strove to achieve the West European level of development. The researcher argued that the state played a large role in the formation of society. He believed that it largely determined the formation of the social system and social institutions.
About colonization
This topic occupied an important place in the historical concepts of Soloviev and Klyuchevsky. They attached fundamental importance to the geographical conditions of the people, the influence of climate, waterways on the development of trade and economy. Pavel Milyukov accepted Solovyov’s idea of the struggle between forest and steppe in the history of Russia. However, he, relying on the latest archaeological research, largely adjusted the development of his teacher. The scientist took part in archaeological excavations, went on expeditions, in addition, was a member of the geographical natural science society, so that the knowledge gained helped to illuminate this interesting topic in science in a new way.
Master's dissertation
Milyukov Pavel Nikolaevich chose the theme of Peter's transformations for his work. However, his teacher advised him to study the letters of the North Russian monasteries. The scientist refused, which was the reason for their disagreement during the defense of the work, which was called "The State Economy in Russia of the first quarter of the XVIII century and the reform of Peter the Great." In it, he proved the idea that the first emperor carried out his transformative activities spontaneously, without a previously thought out plan. According to the researcher, all his reforms were dictated by the needs of the war. In addition, Miliukov Pavel Nikolaevich believed that his transformations in the public sphere were determined by the need for tax and financial reforms. For this work, members of the academic council wanted to immediately award the candidate a doctorate, but Klyuchevsky opposed this decision, which led to the breakdown of their friendly relations.
Travels
Of great importance in the formation of Milyukov as a historian was his participation in archaeological expeditions. He traveled to Bulgaria, where he taught history, and also was engaged in excavations. In addition, he lectured in Chicago, Boston, and some European cities. He also taught at Moscow educational institutions, but lost his post for participating in liberal circles. In 1904-1905, he actively participated in the social movement: for example, he takes part in the Paris Conference, represents the organizations of the Union of Liberation, the Union of Unions in European countries. Such an active socio-political position was determined by the fact that he led the party when the State Duma was created in Russia.
Political career in the years 1905-1917
Milyukov Pavel Nikolaevich, leader of the cadet party, became one of the most famous political figures of the era. He held moderate liberal views and believed that Russia should be a constitutional monarchy. In these years, his name was considered one of the most famous and at the same time high-profile in social and political life.
The latter circumstance is explained by the fact that he made high-profile announcements and accusations. He himself and his adherents positioned themselves as an opposition to the tsarist government. During the First World War, he advocated maintaining commitments to the Allies, that is, for conducting hostilities to a victorious end. Subsequently, he accused the country's leadership of conspiring with the Germans, which largely contributed to the sharp activation of opposition in society.
After the February Revolution, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Provisional Government. While in this post, he continued to make loud speeches about the need to wage war until victory. He was a supporter of the transition of the Black Sea straits of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to Russia. However, these statements did not bring him popularity at that time: on the contrary, his statement led to an increase in opposition in a society that was tired of the war, which the Bolsheviks took advantage of, provoking protests against the government.
This led to the fact that the leader of the cadet party resigned, but accepted a more modest post of Minister of Education. He supported the Kornilov movement, was elected to the Constituent Assembly, which never began work. After the events described above, he emigrated to Europe, where he continued his active socio-political activities, and also began to publish and reprint his works.
Life in exile
Milyukov Pavel Nikolaevich occupied a prominent place among the Russian emigration. “The History of the Second Russian Revolution,” one of his works written during the years of emigration, is proof that he even very abroad perceived the changes taking place in our country. At first he was a supporter of armed confrontation with the Bolsheviks, but later changed his point of view and began to argue that it was necessary to undermine the new system from the inside. For this, many of his followers retreated from him. In exile, the scientist edited the main newspaper of the Russian intelligentsia - "Latest News". Despite his opposition views, the historian, nevertheless, supported Stalin's foreign policy, in particular, approved the war with Finland. During the Second World War, he supported patriotic sentiments and supported the actions of the Red Army.
Some works
Milyukov Pavel Nikolaevich, whose books became a noticeable phenomenon in Russian historiography, in exile began to reprint one of the main works of his life devoted to the history of Russia. Several volumes of "Essays on the History of Russian Culture" have become a notable phenomenon in historical science. In them, the author considered the historical process as a combination of several social phenomena: school, religion, political structure. In them, he attached great importance to the country's borrowing norms of Western Europe.
Among the publications of the politician, one can also name the essay "Living Pushkin", collections of articles "From the History of Russian Intelligentsia" and "Year of Struggle", the book "Armed Peace and the Limitation of Arms" and others.
Milyukov Pavel Nikolaevich, “Memoirs” of which summed up his life, died in 1943. This work remained incomplete, nevertheless, it is important for understanding the formation of the personality of the historian. He wrote it from memory, having no archival materials at hand, since his library in Paris was sealed. However, relying on his memory, he accurately conveyed the path of his formation as a scientist and socio-political figure.
Value
Milyukov left behind a noticeable mark both in science and in public life. His works are an important component of Russian historiography. The scientist’s theory of the socio-historical process is original, and although he largely followed the ideas of the state school and his teacher, he nevertheless departed from their views on very many points. It should be noted here that his socio-political activities affected his historical works. His style and language cannot be called exclusively scientific: journalistic vocabulary periodically slips in them. The political activity of Miliukov was quite loud, and therefore we can say that he left a noticeable mark in socio-political thought.