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Decembrist Movement Publishing House "ANALITIKA RODIS" 87 / UDC 94(47) "1825.12.14" Decembrist movement: between myth and history (some http://publishing-vak.ru ) u features of Decembrist studies at the second half of the XIXth century – the beginning of the XXth century) [email protected] Vasil'eva Elena Borisovna PhD (History), associate professor, Omsk institute of international management and foreign languages, P.O. Box 64400, Bulatova str., No. 99, Omsk, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Publishing House "ANALITIKA RODIS" ( Publishing House "ANALITIKA The article analyzes Decembrist publications of the second half of the XIXth century – the beginning of the XXth century. The work objective is to identify and define the features of the conceived Decembrist concepts in the conduct of the stated period, to follow up their development, realization contexts depend- ing on the features of source studies and world view orientation. The research results can be used when realizing generalizing works on public opinion his- tory; taken into account in training courses on Russian history, used in works devoted to Decembrist movement. Having examined the research results the author concludes that four prime factors influenced the presentation of the De- cembrist movement. The first one – initially the history of Decembrist studies represented collision of two ideological consecutions: revolutionary liberal and conservative. The given circumstance contributed to the fact that at the first at- tempt of its apprehension a definition was set up – a Decembrist – "a hero or a criminal". The second one – lack of source studies materials and predominance of sources of individual origin led to the shift of accents into ethical plane. The third one – the multiple-subject topic enabled representatives of various socio- political trends to find an alcove in the history of the Decembrist movement thereby forming their own specific image of a Decembrist for extensive sweeps Decembrist movement: between myth and history… 88 "White Spots" of the Russian and World History. 5-6`2013 of people. The fourth one – all the factors listed above were ministerial to cre- ation of an ethical and romantic charisma around Decembrist studies, and it is ever so actual in ideological propaganda. Keywords Decembrist movement, myth, Decembrist studies, source studies, historical studies. Introduction One of the major research para- digms is considering the history as a Historical science has two levels. product of social and cultural mythmak- The first one can be described as accu- ing. mulative and descriptive. At this level the Throughout the long period of sources studies' material is collected and time the indicated trends were typical processed, narrative canvas is developed, mainly of the Western historiography, causal relationships are established, and but in the last two decades they became historical events are assessed. also relevant for the national historical Second one is reflexive and cog- science. nitive. It is a process of understanding Naturally, this could not touch the historical reality through the prism one of the most popular topics of nation- of social, political, cultural conjunc- al history – the history of the Decembrist ture, scientific paradigms, and author's movement. Reading Decembrist histori- personal and ideological features. Vari- ography, which saw the light of day for ability and subjectivity of these factors the past two decades, you inadvertently lead to a variation of its appraisal and catch yourself thinking that one of the meaningful side. Each generation tries most frequently used concept is a myth. to revise historical plots, give them their And there is a grain of truth. Since the own assessment, in line with their needs. uprising on December 14, 1825 up to the It gives many researchers and thinkers present time the history of movement grounds and we must say, not without has often been the "victim" of the social, reason, to cast doubt on the existence of cultural and political conditions that af- "objective" history. fected both its scientific study, and the Vasil'eva Elena Borisovna Publishing House "ANALITIKA RODIS" 89 content of the Decembrist's image in the At the same time, "revaluation" mass historical consciousness. and, as a result, the desire "to replace the positive signs with the negative ones2" "Myth of Decembrists" and ways led to a revival of old and development to overcome it of new versions of the movement's his- tory, that are not always of strictly scien- There are attempts to overcome tific nature. the "mythology" of Decembrist history So, interpreting the Decembrists in frames of Russian Decembrists study as destroyers, regicides oath-breakers, for the time being. conductors of malicious non-Russian Two ways can be distinguished in spirit which nearly ruined the Russia was this process. again increasingly in demand3. However, The first one is to redefine the his- ["Sovremennoe dekabristovedenie na tory of the Decembrist movement, when postsovetskom prostranstve. Stanovlenie, the concept of "myth" is used mainly as a problematika, nauchnye tsentry i perspek- tivy razvitiya", Dekabristy: Aktual'nye metaphor. Within this framework, the re- problemy i novye podkhody], Moscow, pp. searchers focused on specific failures of 640-663; Fel'dman, D.M. (2008), "Decem- brist studies today: terminology, ideology, the previous Decembrists study. Indeed, methodology", The Decembrists: current it can be stated that abandoning rigidly problems and new approaches ["Deka- bristovedenie segodnya: terminologiya, deterministic estimates allowed histori- ideologiya, metodologiya", Dekabristy: ans to expand researching spectrum and Aktual'nye problemy i novye podkhody], Moscow, pp. 663-713. greatly enrich the ideas of the Decem- 2 Kaz'mirchuk, G.D. (2008), "Modern brists. Decembrist studies in the former Soviet This aspect was highlighted in the Union. Formation, problems, research centers and prospects", The Decembrists: research literature many times, its ad- current problems and new approaches vantages and disadvantages were identi- ["Sovremennoe dekabristovedenie na postsovetskom prostranstve. Stanovlenie, fied, as well as its controversial moments problematika, nauchnye tsentry i perspek- were found, that were of methodological, tivy razvitiya", Dekabristy: Aktual'nye source study and terminological nature1. problemy i novye podkhody], Moscow, p. 643. 1 Kaz'mirchuk, G.D. (2008), "Modern 3 Smolin, M.V. (2000), "Janissaries" of Decembrist studies in the former Soviet night fraternity", Tol' S.D. Night brothers. Union. Formation, problems, research Masonic action ["Yanychary" nochnogo centers and prospects", The Decembrists: bratstva", Tol', S.D. Nochnye brat'ya. current problems and new approaches Masonskoe deistvo], Moscow, pp. 5-22; Decembrist movement: between myth and history… 90 "White Spots" of the Russian and World History. 5-6`2013 if such an interpretation is mainly pre- the authoritative historian S.O. Schmidt, sented in the publication of promonarhic those researchers do right who in their and religious nature, the idealization of works "... focus on the" moral aspect" movement's participants not as revolu- of the Decembrists' political action..."6. tionaries, but as reformers of the first Another modern scientist notes: "moral quarter of the XIX century, is typical of characteristics of the subject being stud- scientific literature as well4. ied add particular relevance to analysis Another trend of modern Decem- of the nature and place of Decembrist in brists study is closely connected with it social history of Russia"7. as well – highlighting the moral aspects The situation is complicated by of the movement's history5. According to the fact that these trends can be found Filin, M.A. (1993), "About Decembrists not only in the works of generalizable and Decembrism: some thoughts on the and historiosophical nature, but also in newly discovered text" ["O dekabristakh i dekabrizme: Nekotorye razmyshleniya studies on particular problems of the De- nad stranitsami novonaidennogo teksta"], Zvezda, No. 6, pp. 166-175; Shcherbakov, 170th anniversary of the Decembrist re- A.Yu. (2005), Decembrists. Conspiracy volt, December 14, 1995 ["Nravstvennye against Russia [Dekabristy. Zagovor pro- uroki dekabrizma", Zastupniki svobody. tiv Rossii], St. Peterburg-Moscow, 316 p. Pamyatnye chteniya, posvyashchennye 4 Bokova, V.M. (2001), "The patient is more 170-letiyu vosstaniya dekabristov, 14 alive than dead" (Notes on the national dekabrya 1995 goda], St. Petersburg, pp. Decembrist studies of 1990s), December 18-23; Ekshtut, S.A. (1989), "Decembrist 14, 1825. Sources, researches, bibliog- movement: the moral aspect of political raphy. Issue IV ["Bol'noi skoree zhiv, action" ["Dvizhenie dekabristov: moral'nyi chem mertv" (Zametki ob otechestven- aspekt politicheskogo deistviya"], Vestnik nom dekabristovedenii 1990-kh gg.), 14 moskovskogo universiteta, Series 7, No. 5, dekabrya 1825 g. Istochniki, issledovaniya pp. 65-75. istoriografiya, bibliografiya. Vyp. ],IV St. 6 Shmidt, S.O. (2002), "Decembrists in the Petersburg-Kishinev, pp. 497-561; Tsam- respect of people of XX and XXI centu- utali, A.N. (1997), "The Decembrists in ries", Public awareness of the Russian the liberation movement in Russia. Some noble class of XVII – first third of the XIX questions of historiography", December ["Dekabristy v predstavleniyakh lyudei 14, 1825. Sources of research, histori- rubezha XX i XXI stoletii", Obshchestven- ography, bibliography
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