«Теория официальной народности» С. С. Уварова как проекция консервативной доктрины российского государства

Abstract

The search for a unifying principle to strengthen modern Russian society forces us to turn to the historical foundations of the formation of a national ideology. For the Russian Empire, since the XIX century, such a unifying beginning has been the conservative doctrine, reflected in the so-called “theory of official nationality”, proclaimed by a prominent Russian statesman, senator, Minister of Public Education, real privy councilor of the Russian Empire, Sergei Semenovich Uvarov. Uvarov believed that the government of the country should “be carried out in the united spirit of Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality”. Contemporaries called these three elements the triune beginning of the historical existence of the Russian Empire. The love of faith, as S.S. Uvarov believed, is characteristic of the Russian people since ancient times. And to deprive him of this faith would be to tear out his heart. Autocracy is an integral component of the political existence of the Russian state. Nationality according to Uvarov is an indicator of the individuality and originality of Russia, a magnitude that is not subject to any progressive changes. In general, the Minister of Public Education calls these constants national principles, emphasizing that following these constants is the only way to the civilizational maturity of the Russian state. Many researchers still consider the “theory of official nationality” to be the source of a viable ideology of modern Russia. Thus, despite the fact that the “theory of official nationality” is still perceived as a model of reactionary views developed by S.S. Uvarov constants can still be useful to Russian society today in the formation of a unified national idea, the formulation of new geopolitical tasks of the country.