Romantics, Reformers, Reactionaries: Russian Conservative Thought and Politics in the Reign of Alexander I

by Alexander M. Martin

In this richly researched and highly original study, Alexander M. Martin explores conservatism in Russian thought, politics, and culture during the first quarter of the nineteenth century.   Tracing the indigenous and foreign origins of conservative ideology through a wide range of sources, he shows how the Russians reacted to threats posed by the egalitarianism of the French Revolution and how this reaction shaped state policy and national consciousness.  Martin views the development of Russian conservatism in several contexts, the most important of which is the new nationalism that linked the crisis brought on by the Napoleonic wars to the eras of Catherine the Great and Nicholas I.  Exploring the growth of nationalistic thinking, he shows its relation to sentimentalism, to a broad religious awakening, and to the growing pride in Russian distinctiveness. Linking Russia's intellectual and cultural life with national politics, Martin identifies conservative groups and investigates their role in influencing foreign and domestic policy.  He shows how public opinion responded to the conservatives' initiatives and explores the relationship between conservative-nationalist ideas and Russian society. By placing Russian conservatism firmly in the context of contemporary Western thought, Martin presents the striking conclusion that Russian conservatives were part of the political and cultural upheaval that took place all across Europe between the revolutions of 1789 and 1848.  Russian conservatism was thus uniquely far from mainly defending the status quo, Russia's conservatives were also part of the movement for change. Romantics, Reformers, Reactionaries is the first in-depth probe of the origins of Russian conservatism.  It will appeal not only to Russian historians but to all readers concerned with political culture and the history of conservative thought. 

Genres: Russia

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1997

Reviews

[Ben]

Examines currents in conservatism during the reign of Alexander I. Conservatism was rarely cohesive - it shared a rhetoric and an intellectual heritage with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, yet saw itself as the force that could halt the progress of Enlightenment skepticism. Three dominant strains - Shishkov's Russian Nationalism which saw the roots of National Pride in the peasantry and most importantly in the Old Style language. The gentry rejected Alexander's early reforms, which they feared would combine with Bonapartism to enflame the passions of the serfs and erode their position in society. Post 1812- conservatism moved from the salons to the courts - the Holy Alliance- committed to a Christian rollback of the Enlightenment