The concept of umonachertanie veka in the historical writings of the times of Catherine the Great

The Russian historiography in the second half of the eighteenth century developed in intense interaction withthe French Enlightenment. The task of Russian historians was to disprove some objectionable historical works of European authors aboutRussian history. For solving this problem historians of the times of Catherine the Great adopted a number of concepts of Enlightenmenthistoriography. One of these concepts was esprit du siècle of Voltaire. This concept became the central in historical conception ofCatherine the Great. She developed it twice: in her major historical enterprise - Notes Concerning Russian History (1783) and in one ofher letters to Senac de Meilhan (1791). In both occasions it is talked about a comparison between Russian and European history, from whichshould be discovered some common for both histories umonachertanie veka (Catherine the Great translation of esprit du siècle). Thisconcept emphasized thereby that both histories have some fundamental common traits: one cannot impute to the Russian special vices anddefects, since they were inherent in all nations in certain ages of their history. Umonachertanie veka appeared also in the writings ofanother historians of these times. Ivan I. Golikov applied it in his Аcts of Peter the Great and in Adittions to them for justification oftsars cruelty and savageness. The appeal to take account of difference between past and present manners and to estimate human actionsaccording to the past umonachertaniya became one of the main methodological principles of his works. Mikhail M. Shcherbatov alsoconsidered it as one of the task of historians and employed this concept for the proof of the natural course of Russian history. In thoseperspective should be considered the views of Ivan N. Boltin. In his works comparative historical method reached the highest point ofelaboration. But a connection between him and his contemporaries, who worked at the same direction, is undisputable. The concept of espritdu siècle on the Russian ground had one concert purpose: to disprove the opinions of foreigners about Russia. But it also has played a vitalrole in development of historical consciousness. It gave birth to the idea that all historical phenomenon should be considered according to thetimes of their existence. In endeavor to defend Russian history arise a notion that different social states can be placed in a line, on which it ispossible to bring them into correlation in terms of leading or backwardness in passing through certain stages; that different societies differfrom each other not in the degree of their glory, but according to the level of historical development.

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