The Reign of Peter I as Viewed by the Representatives of Russian State Nationalism (M.N. Katkov, A.S. Suvorin, M.O. Menshikov

Abstract

In the article the authors examine the views of conservative publicists of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries: M.N. Katkov, A.S. Suvorin, M.O. Menshikov. These publicists are attributed by the authors to the exponents of the ideas of state nationalism. The authors trace the duality of the basic attitudes of state nationalism, manifested in changes in the ratio of priorities of state and national construction. The authors come to certain conclusions on the basis of an analysis of the views of those thinkers on the results of the activities of Peter I. The article shows that Katkov’s views were unconditionally dominated by the interests of the state as such and the interests of the people were inferior to the state needs. That determined his generally positive attitude towards the activities of Peter the Great. In contrast, Suvorin and Menshikov already brought to the fore the needs and necessities of the Russian people as the main builder of the state. They were concerned about the erosion of national identity, and the inappropriate expenditure of human resources, which, in their opinion, was a hidden threat to the viability of the state itself. At the same time, all representatives of state nationalism unconditionally recognized the greatness of the personality of Peter I himself and the global character of the transformations he accomplished.