Peter’s Reforms as National: the Publicistic Aspect of S.V. Solovyov’s “Public Readings on Peter the Great”

Abstract

Sergey M. Solovyov (1820–1879) – is one of the most well-known and authoritative Russian historians, the author of the monumental work “History of Russia” in 29 volumes, and the creator of the “common scheme of Russian history” (M. Grushevsky). At the same time, his political views and publicistic activity are still not in the focus of the researchers’ attention. The present article attempts to draw special attention to one of the most well-known and repeatedly reprinted work of the historian – his “Public Readings on Peter the Great”. Twelve public lectures were delivered by Solovyov in February – March of 1972 in Moscow Noble Assembly hall in the context of the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the first all-Russia emperor. Leaving aside the well-studied historiographic value of that work, the author of the article analyzes its text (together with the draft and Solovyov’s commencement address at the grand meeting in Moscow University May 30, 1872) fro the point of view of the currently important political problems in the 1860-ies and the beginning of the 1870-ies years, and above all, the aspects of nationalism. Solovyov appears to be at once an opponent of both Slavophils and Katkov’s nationalism, interpreting “narodnost’” (national character) as historical, dynamic category, while conceiving Russian nation as part of European nations. And at the same tine Solovyov emphasizes the connection of contemporaneity with the formation of personal independence, initiative, as well as compatibility and ability for pubic unity.