Between Christian Universalism and Imperial Idea: Russia of 17th and 18th Century at Crossroad of History
Abstract
The study is focused on the fundamental concepts of Russian thinking and especially its view of the domestic history during two periods of Russian history - before and after Peter the Great. The author analyses three key problems: 1) the forming of Russian identity at the level of historical consciousness and political thinking, 2) differences and connections between Muscovite and Imperial periods in the history of Russian thought, 3) roots and reasons for contradictory perception of the Old Russia during the Modern period.
Interpretating the spiritual world of Muscovite Russia, the author emphasizes the fact that the religiously motivated ideas had a decisive influence on the political and social thinking and the historiosophy of the cultural elite. The situation dramatically changed during Peter's the Great rule (1682-1725) and 18th century when the concept of the Orthodox tsardom based on the persuasion of a special Christian mission was substituted by the secular imperial idea in the dominating part of Russian culture.