Vasily Klyuchevsky (1841–1911) - the largest and one of the most prominent Russian historians of the second half of the 19th century. He is rightly considered the founder of bourgeois economism in Russian historiography, since he was the first to pay close attention to the study of popular life and the economic foundations of social life.
Some information about the youth of the historian
Klyuchevsky Vasily Osipovich, a brief biography of which is presented in this section, was born in 1841 in the Penza province. He was the son of a village priest. His grandfather and great-grandfather were also clergymen. Therefore, church teaching had a great influence on him. The researcher retained his interest in Orthodox history for life: his first dissertation was devoted to the lives of saints, and in his famous courses on Russian history, he invariably turned to the spiritual development of the people and the role of Orthodoxy in the past of the country.
Vasily Klyuchevsky studied at the Penza parish school and Penza seminary, but decided to devote himself to the secular science of history. He was attracted by the historical and philological faculty of Moscow University, which was the center of social and political life at the time. However, church education had a great influence on him. The historian himself admitted that the study of scholasticism developed in him the ability to think logically.
Years of study and first studies
Klyuchevsky Vasily Osipovich, whose brief biography is continued in this section, studied for four years at Moscow University. This time was decisive in the choice of his profession and research topics. The lectures of historian F. Buslaev had a great influence on him. Then the future scientist became very interested in folk culture, folklore, sayings, and proverbs.
Vasily Klyuchevsky decided to devote himself to the study of the foundations of folk life, as he put it. His first dissertation was devoted to a thorough study of hagiographic literature. Before him, none of Russian historians dealt with this subject in such detail. Another major study is devoted to studying the composition of the Boyar Duma. Vasily Klyuchevsky very carefully analyzed the social strata that were part of this deliberative body under Russian princes and tsars. His work opened up new approaches in historiography in the study of the social structure of society. His methodology included a detailed analysis of all manifestations of life and everyday life of the common people, which was especially important for Russia in the second half of the XIX century after the abolition of serfdom.
History work
Vasily Klyuchevsky, whose biography was briefly presented in the previous sections, is known as the author of the famous lecture course, which he gave for several decades. Being an excellent speaker, he was fluent in literary language, which made his speeches especially vivid and expressive. Thanks to apt and witty remarks and conclusions with which he accompanied his scientific reasoning, his lectures became especially popular. Vasily Klyuchevsky, whose history in Russia became a real benchmark not only for his students, but also for many other Russian scientists, was also famous as a thoughtful observer of the life of the Russian people. Before him, researchers, as a rule, drew attention to political events and facts, so his work without exaggeration can be called a real breakthrough in historiography.
The language of the scientist
A feature of Klyuchevsky’s vocabulary is expressiveness, accuracy and brightness of statements. The researcher was able to very clearly express his thoughts on a variety of problems of the present and the past. For example, he owns the following statement about the reforms of the first Russian emperor: "There is always a lot of litter left from a large construction site, and a lot of good was lost in Peter's hasty work." The historian often resorted to such comparisons and metaphors, which, distinguished by wit, nevertheless, very well conveyed his thoughts.
His statement about Catherine II, which he called "the last chance on the Russian throne," is interesting. The scientist quite often resorted to such comparisons, which made it possible to better understand the material passed. Many of Klyuchevsky's expressions have become a kind of proverbs in Russian historiography. Often his phrases are referenced in order to give expressiveness to reasoning. Many of his words became aphorisms. So, the statement "In Russia, the center on the periphery" almost immediately went to the people: it can often be found in the press, at symposia, conferences.
Scientist about history and life
Klyuchevsky’s thoughts are original and original. So, in his own way he remade the famous Latin proverb that history teaches life: “History does not teach anything, but only punishes for ignorance of the lessons.” Accuracy, clarity and brightness of the language brought the scientist not only all-Russian, but also worldwide fame: many foreign researchers, studying the history of Russia, refer precisely to his works. Of interest are those aphorisms of the historian in which he expressed his attitude not only to history, but also to general philosophical problems in general: "Life is not to live, but to feel that you are living."
Some facts from the biography
In conclusion, we should outline several interesting moments in the life of this outstanding researcher. The future researcher learned to read at the age of four and from an early age showed an amazing ability to learn. At the same time, he struggled with stuttering and, as a result of great efforts, managed to overcome this vice and become a brilliant speaker. He took part in the famous Petergof meetings on drafting the Duma, and also ran as a deputy from the Cadet Party, but failed. So, Klyuchevsky Vasily Osipovich, whose biography and work became the subject of this study, is one of the leading Russian experts in the study of Russian history.