Polish Uprising 1863–1864 as an Ideological Challenge to Russian Society

Abstract

The article deals with the intellectual reaction of Russian society to the Polish uprising of 1863– 1864. The author compares the offi cial state ideology that existed in Russia and the sentiments of Russian publicists. The actual ideological sentiments of the upper strata are analyzed by the example of the Millennium of Russia monument the grand opening of which happened in Novgorod four months before the uprising. The author concludes that M.N. Katkov (the “Moskovskiye Vedomosti” journal) fully fi t into the offi cial line already specifi ed the day before and became its mouthpiece. The publicist proceeded at that from the fundamental difference between Russia and Poland. On the contrary, the leader of the Slavophil trend I.S. Aksakov (“Den” newspaper) was inclined not only to bring the two cultures closer together, but also suggested borrowing certain social experience of the Polish intelligentsia. F.M. Dostoevsky (“Vremya” magazine) developed the idea of true brotherhood, which he opposed to Catholicism and socialism. The Polish events became a real challenge to Russian society, in response to which both ideas about the goals of the «Russian intelligentsia» and Dostoevsky’s doctrine of personality were born.