PERCEPTION OF NIHILISM BY “HUMANELY DEVELOPED” YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE 1850s – 1860s

Abstract

It is proved that in the youth culture of the sixties of the XIX century there was a split into educational and nihilistic subcultures. The purpose of the study is to analyze the views of educated young people of the XIX century on the nihilistic system of values and lifestyle. The subject of the study is the ideas of educated young people of the 1860s about nihilism. The novelty of the work is determined by comparison of two youth subcultures – educational and nihilistic. The theme is uncovered in the context of historical and anthropological approach, which requires the study of a personality in the society. The discursive method made it possible to identify the key words and ideas of “humanely developed” young people. The axiological method made it possible to determine the value system of young people. The article analyzes the features characterizing the culture of the educated “people of the sixties”. The concept of “humanely developed” young people of the 1860s is uncovered, they were supporters of liberal reforms, highly educated, they assessed reasonably historical circumstances. Their ideas about the goals of their activities are revealed – promoting the formation of civil society, expanding personal and social rights of the individual. In the works of historians, the ideas of nihilists are mainly studied, which are often perceived by the features of all the “people of the sixties”. In historical works, nihilism is considered as the main youth subculture in Russia in the 1860s, the views of educated young people who perceived nihilists as their opponents are insufficiently studied. The main sources of the research are memoirs, letters and diary entries of prominent representatives of “humanely developed” young people, which enable us to determine the value system of their authors, the features of their cultural memory, perception of the interests of different social forces. The study led to the conclusion that the worldview of “humanely developed” young people differed significantly from the ideological attitudes of nihilism. It is proved that liberal-minded young people created their own system of values; they set the task of forming a thinking personality. Unlike nihilists, they recognized the human right to personal happiness. Educated young people and nihilists also had general ideas about public activities in the interests of the people, about granting rights to women, and about the development of education.