Features of Russian civilization. Russian civilization What is the essence of Russian civilization
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Peculiarities of Russian civilization “Russia is a puzzle wrapped in a secret inside an enigma.” W. Churchill MOBU Secondary School No. 4 in the town of Luchegorsk, Primorsky Territory, teacher of history and social studies V.V. Zabora.
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Main questions of the topic Features of Russian traditionalism and modernization. Attitude to power. Community. Ascetic ideal. World-denying tradition. Relationship to East and West. Missionary
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“For you - centuries, for us - a single hour” A. Blok The image of Russia - a steppe mare - flying, rushing at a gallop, was perfectly captured by A. Blok in the poem “On the Kulikovo Field”: And eternal battle! Rest only in our dreams. Through blood and dust... The steppe mare flies, flies And crushes the feather grass... There is no peace! The steppe mare gallops! Russian society is changing suddenly, without long preparation, in leaps and bounds. Assignment: Illustrate this feature of the historical development of Russia.
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F. Tyutchev M. Voloshin “Oh, don’t wake up the sleeping storms - chaos is stirring under them!” F. Tyutchev What features of Russia do poets talk about? Who are you, Russia? Mirage? Obsession Were you there? Yes or not? Whirlpool... rapids... dizziness... Abyss... madness... delirium... M. Voloshin. Burning bush. The fields of my meager land are filled with sorrow. Hills of space in the distance Idgorbi, plain, humpbacks! A. Bely. Rus. Roams in the grindstone, shakes the peoples with Russian loose hops. M. Voloshin. Burning bush. A. Bely
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Westerners and Slavophiles A clash of traditional and modernization values. A powerful state, army, order, service to the state and sovereign, Orthodoxy, ritual, hierarchy, extensiveness. Personality, freedom, equality, law, right, private property, labor What values does the populist P. Lavrov write about? We were proud of one thing: the power of Russia, When in the square, in front of the royal carriage, Orderly regiments were marching, Banners were waving, helmets were shining menacingly, And bayonets were sparkling... Granovsky T.N. Khomyakov A.S.
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Assignment: Here are several poetic and prose passages. The logic of a traditional or modernized person is demonstrated literary characters? There is no freedom... But there is liberation. There is no equality - there is only balance. Not in equality, not in brotherhood, not in freedom, But only in death is the truth of rebellion. M. Voloshin. Rebel. There is no law - there is only coercion. All crimes are created by law. The state is guilty before the criminal. Holy Rus' is covered with sinful Russia. M. Voloshin. In the ways of Cain.
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The “Westernism-Slavophilism” dilemma remains relevant to this day, giving rise to either new forms of radical denial of everything Russian, or new forms of denial of the West. Thanks to the internal conflict of our civilization, Russia has demonstrated to the world the brightest examples of universalism. V. S. Solovyov (1853-1900) The Doctrine of God-Humanity L. N. Tolstoy (1828-1910) Embodies the unique quality of Russian civilization - its ability to hospitably accept and combine various religious and moral traditions V. I. Lenin (1870-1924) The Bolsheviks tried to implement the most universal project: the creation of a single humanity on the principle of complete rejection private property
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What feature of Russian culture is illustrated by the reasoning of the philosopher I. Ilyin: “Seeks ease and does not like tension; will have fun and forget; he will plow up the earth and throw it away; To cut down one tree will destroy five. And his land is “God’s”, and his forest is “God’s”; and “God’s” means “nobody’s”; therefore, what is foreign to him is not forbidden.” It's cold, pages, cold. Hungry, pages, hungry. N. A. Nekrasov Do you know what Russia is? An icy desert, and a dashing man walks across it. K. P. Pobedonostsev We were proud of one thing: the power of Russia. P. Lavrov. To the Russian people.
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The eternal movement of Russians was noted by V. O. Klyuchevsky, who defined Russia as a country “that is being colonized.” The feeling of the limitlessness of space, of one’s eternal restlessness characterized the Russian person. V. Rozanov “Wanderer, eternal wanderer and everywhere only a wanderer.” “Actually, I was born a wanderer; wanderer-preacher” N. Berdyaev defined the consequences that Russia’s territorial expansion led to: “huge spaces were easily given to the Russian people, but their organization of this space was not easy.” Historian V. O. Klyuchevsky concluded: “The state grew fat, but the people lost weight.”
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It is very difficult and dangerous to move Russia. Any reform or revolution threatens anarchy. Russia is included in the global process as a country of the modernization type “from within” + “from without,” when an external factor accelerated internal processes. Russia is static by nature, subject to cyclical fluctuations, around a certain equilibrium point, and extensive. Modernization is selective in nature: borrowing technical and organizational achievements against the background of tightening exploitation by traditional, pre-bourgeois methods. The characteristic of Russia as a “second-tier” country is also recognized as a deep-seated rejection of the dynamics. Preference for stability. The traditionalist masses could be stirred up by total terror and the threat of starvation.
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Cycles Russian history Russian economist N.D. Kondratiev and his followers identified several cycles in the history of Russia, showing the alternation of “upward” (reforms, transformations) and “downward” (counterreforms, tightening of the regime) waves. Try to complete the table according to the researcher's logic. I cycle II cycle III cycle IV cycle Upward wave Downward wave Upward wave Downward wave Upward wave Downward wave Upward wave Downward wave Late 1780-1810s. 1817-1855s 1855-early 1870s 1870-1891,1896's 1896-1914, 1921 Since 1914, 1921-1946 1940-1969, 1972 1972-1980 Reforms of Alexander I and projects of Speransky Arakcheevshchina. Reign of Nicholas I Great reforms of Alexander II Contreforts of Alexander III Reforms of Witte, Stolypin, NEP War communism, industrialization, collectivization
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Remember how the periodization of Russian history is given? Who makes the civilizational choice and decides the fate of the country at all stages of its development?
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Assignment: Make a list of the five most important events in Russian history that influenced the formation of statehood and civilization. Arrange them in order of importance and justify your own position.
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Describe the attitude towards the power of the Russian people? “The Russian people have always had a different attitude towards power than the European peoples. He never fought against power and, most importantly, never participated in it, was not corrupted by participation in it. Russian people have always looked at power as an evil from which a person must get rid of...” A. Tolstoy “Russian character is glorified in the world, It is studied everywhere. He is so strangely vast that he himself yearns for a bridle.” I. Guberman “...A Russian, no matter what his rank, circumvents the law wherever this can be done with impunity; and the government acts in exactly the same way" N. Berdyaev "...The main active forces are the state and the autocratic sovereign...from whom all the main phenomena of life came and to which they were reduced" V. Klyuchevsky
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Community has become one of the main characteristics of the Russian-Orthodox civilization. Think about it! What features of Russian Orthodox civilization does M. F. Dostoevsky talk about? “He is smart, he is Shakespeare, he is vain about his talent, humiliate him, destroy him...”; “...The highest freedom is not to save and not to provide yourself with money, but to share everything you have and go to serve everyone.”
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Consider the meaning of the proverbs: “It’s not caring that there is a lot of work, but it’s caring that there is none”; “Working will not make you rich, but you will be hunchbacked”; “I would drink and eat, but work wouldn’t come to my mind.” “You can’t make stone chambers from righteous labors”; “Let your soul go to hell, you will be rich”; “He’s like a saint: he’s not afraid of trouble”; “My mind is dull and my wallet is tight.” Think about the difference between the attitude to work: - Orthodox; - Catholic; - Protestant.
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“In Russia, all property grew from “begged”, or “gifted”, or “robbed” someone. There is very little labor ownership. And this makes her not strong and not respected.” V. V. Rozanov Remember goodies Russian fairy tales? “Getting to a book and opening it and dealing with it is more difficult for me than writing an article. Writing is a pleasure, but “getting it done” is disgusting. There “they carry wings,” but here they have to work: but I am the eternal Oblomov.” Think! Why, when discussing the peculiarities of the Russian character, did the philosopher Rozanov mention a character from Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov”? What are the causes of our poverty? Are we doomed to poverty? Rozanov V.V.
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Russian is a man of the community. The community is his protection, his means of survival. Humility is merging with the “world”, with the community, the collective. Communalism is the denial of the personality of one person (to be “like everyone else”, “to keep a low profile”). Striving for equalization. Life is perceived as serving the “world”, as a duty. Survival is the cause, collectivism is the effect. Communal consciousness and communal behavior merge work and rest: monotonous peasant labor was “flavored” with dancing, singing, fighting and drinking. Communalism leads to a lack of sense of private property. Community causes the psychology of “they owe me”, “they owe me”. The ancestral symbol is a patron, protector. For a traditional Russian person, wealth comes from the devil; the only justification for wealth is high social status.
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Ascetic contempt of the spirit for the flesh. In the Russian understanding, society consists of the poor (like me) and the rich (they). You cannot be rich and honest at the same time. A specific feature of Russians is the desire to follow Christ in his humiliation and suffering. Christ, suffering for people, is the ideal of Russians. This is expressed poetically by F. Tyutchev: Dejected by the burden of the godmother, the Heavenly King departed in a servile form, blessing you all, my dear land. Gospel image Christ the Sufferer, the poor man, caused in the 14th-15th centuries. "foolishness". Type of holy fool - Russian saint, his qualities: poverty, simplicity, humiliation, suffering, sacrifice. The Russian person is ready to sacrifice for the good of the country, homeland, state. "Feat" - "ascetic". Labor on earth has always been a feat for Russians. V. Surikov “The Holy Fool Sitting on the Ground”
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World-denying tradition. All thoughts are about the future. Existing things are transient, fleeting, accidental, and therefore untrue. N. Berdyaev: “The best, most cultured and thinking Russian people of the 19th century did not live in the present, which was disgusting for them, they lived in the future and the past. Hence, the “present,” that is, the life of a specific person, has no value; they are “fertilizer for the future kingdom of justice.” Andrei Bely: “Die” to say to Russia And think about the resurrection. M. Voloshin: So the seed, in order to germinate, Must decay... Eastley, Russia, And blossom with the kingdom of the spirit! Valery Bryusov: Everything will perish without a trace, perhaps, What only we knew, But you, who will destroy me, I greet with a welcoming hymn. What perception of the world is typical for Russian civilization?
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Attitude to the West and the East M. Voloshin wrote in the poem “Russia”: At the bottom of our souls we despise the West, But from there, in search of gods, We steal the Hegels and Marxes, So that, perched on the barbaric Olympus, Smoke styrax and sulfur in their honor And chop off heads to the native gods, And a year later - to drag an overseas fool to the river, tied to his tail. The attitude towards the West is active. Active dislike, reaching the point of hatred, or active “love”, striving for the most complete imitation. Overall, there is a lack of acceptance of it. Even in periods of “dislike” there is a desire to adopt technology, but not ideology. The attitude towards the East is calm. Sometimes indifferent, sometimes patronizing, sometimes admiring.
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What did the “Catholic and Protestant worlds” offer the Russians? They are focused on worldly values, on a pragmatic approach to life, on active intervention in the world, on a clear and real result. What is the Orthodox world oriented towards? It is focused on mystical rather than worldly, pragmatic values. The process is more important, not the result. What is more important is the dispute as a process, not its essence. What is more important is the search for the “meaning of life”, rather than specific work to effectively improve people’s lives. What type of consciousness (traditional or modernized) do the heroes of Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov” - Oblomov and Stolz - demonstrate?
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O unworthy of election, You are chosen. Khomyakov And you, element of fire, go crazy, burning me, Russia, Russia, Russia - the Messiah of the coming day! A. Bely Why was Russia chosen? Vladimir Solovyov “...Entrust her with the great responsibility of morally serving both the East and the West, reconciling both within herself.” What formula did Russia take as the basis of its ideology?
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The idea of “Moscow – the Third Rome” is an isolationist identity in the Moscow Principality, main idea- not God’s chosenness, but responsibility to humanity for the preservation of the Divine truth embodied in their state and everyday structure. The activities of Peter I as an active return of Russia to the pan-European world. Inclusion of Russia in the circle of universal human enlightenment. Europeanization is not only a way of technical modernization, but also a form of service to humanity. Universalism Universalism State Civilization
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What two leading functions of Russia does the poet M. Voloshin indicate: And Rus' conceived and carried in her womb - the Third Rome - a blind and terrible fruit: May what was conceived in flame and anger unite the east and the west! Are we not destined to overcome the last destinies of Europe, in order to prevent Her disastrous paths? Russia's mission: sacrificial and “conciliatory” (unifying) Why did Byzantine Constantinople fail? And why, on the other hand, did Byzantine Moscow retain its integrity? How would you answer this question? "You're the best! There is no mercy for the best!” - exclaimed M. Voloshin (Blessing). How do you understand this statement?
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Russia's civilizational mission in the 21st century? Political aspect: creation of a democratic state, active promotion of the creation of a fair world order, excluding the possibility of dictate from a single superpower. Economic aspect: gaining a comfortable place in the international division of labor. Cultural aspect: preservation, development of a unique culture, the Russian language (support for Russianphony - love for Russia and Russian culture). Environmental aspect: preservation of the unique natural diversity of Russia.
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Symbols of Russia Assignment: Come up with symbols of Russia based on human senses. 1.Vision. Form: inanimate object (temple, village or city architecture, living object (flower, tree) Color: what color, in your opinion, can be called the color of Russia? 2. Hearing. What folklore or classical piece of music, what rhythm, dance, the best way emphasizes the spirit of the Russian people? 3. Smell. What smell (for example, a flower) can be a symbol of Russia? What work of art or literature can be, in your opinion, a symbol of Russia? A. Literature. Poetic, prose work (author, hero). B. Painting pictorial work(hero, author) V. Music. Musical composition(author) Think: if you are asked to draw Russia in the form of a person, will you draw it in the form of a woman or a man? Why? What is the vitality of Russian civilization?
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Reflection Exercise “The learning process” Purpose: analysis of knowledge acquisition, work with concepts, a way to organize thoughts. This is an opportunity to compile aspects of knowledge: 1) what you learned about the problem from others 2) what you learned from your experience 3) what you wanted to clarify for yourself Write or draw in symbolic form, what did they teach you? What have you learned from others? What have you learned yourself? What did you come to based on your own activities? What did you read and learn? What is unknown? What do you want to know? Outline the prospects for further development of your knowledge. Next, you can outline thoughts, ideas, plans, projects that will arise as you work with the first three sections.
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Sources Zakharova E. N. Guidelines to the study of history. – M.: Vlados, 2001. History of Russia and its closest neighbors. – Electronic manual, 2005. Encyclopedia of Russian history. 862-1917. Electronic manual, 2002. Internet resources. Images. Social science. Global peace in the 21st century. – edited by L. V. Polyakova. – M., Education, 2008.
Features of Russian civilization
Russian civilization is one of the largest civilizational communities in Eurasia. In Eurasia, the civilizational development of mankind has reached its maximum concentration, where the maximum diversity of its models has emerged, including the interaction of East and West. The multi-ethnicity and multi-confessional nature of Russia have made self-identification and “choice” difficult in the Eurasian space. Russia is characterized by the absence of a monolithic spiritual and value core, a “split” between traditional and liberal-modernist values, and a transformation of the ethnic principle. Hence the problems with national civilizational identity; one might say there is an identity crisis.
Belonging to the Russian civilization of many peoples and different religions is predetermined by the fact that they live together for a long time on a certain Eurasian territory, they are connected by centuries-old spiritual, social, human ties, the joint creation of cultural values and state structures, their common protection, common troubles and good luck - all this affirmed among the large and multi-confessional population a sense of participation in the destinies of Russia, a number of common ideas, preferences, and orientations that became deep for the psychology of Russian ethno-confessional communities.
The contribution of Russian civilization to the universal human treasure is primarily of a spiritual and cultural nature, manifesting itself in literature, moral and humanistic concepts, a special type of human solidarity, various types art and so on. It is precisely when relating, comparing the values of one civilization with the achievements of other civilizations that one most often encounters biased approaches and assessments. It is impossible to judge civilization by the specific socio-economic and political system of society, attributing their inherent vices and shortcomings to the essence of the life of Russian society. Civilization factors are long-term in nature and are reflected in cultural, religious, ethical characteristics, historical traditions, and mentality. It is necessary to take into account the differences between short-term current needs and conditions and long-term ideas and interests, as well as the differences between ideologically neutral national interests and ideological and political orientations, party preferences of individual social groups. With any model of social development, stability in Russia cannot be achieved without taking into account the peculiarities of its civilizational development: the idea of the priority of the interests of society, the spiritual factor, the special role of the state, harsh natural and climatic conditions, colossal distances, when natural resources are located where there is no population. It is necessary to combine traditional domestic culture and the value of modernization. It is advisable to implement the values and norms achieved by modern world civilization through domestic forms of social life.
It must be taken into account that 20% of the non-Russian population mainly live compactly on their historical lands, occupying about half of the territory of Russia, and are also partially scattered in the diaspora. Without a Russian foundation, including the unifying role of the Russian language, Russian society cannot exist, but at the same time there is no Russia without the voluntary union of other age-old ethno-confessional communities. In the civilizational aspect, Russian culture is more all-Russian than purely ethnic, and this contributed to the creation of a great Russian culture, which has won global recognition. It is necessary to take into account that Russian civilization is not innovative, but interpretative; transferring foreign achievements to Russian soil can produce brilliant results (for example, a Russian novel).
To understand the complexity of the paths of national history, it is necessary to imagine the features of the type of civilization and culture that Russia represents.
There are various classifications of civilization systems according to a certain principle, for example, religious. For a cultural analysis of the development of Russia, it is fruitful to consider the type of reproduction of society. The type of reproduction is a synthesized indicator and includes: 1) a special system of values; 2)
characteristics of social relations; 3) personality type associated with the specifics of mentality.
There are two main types of social reproduction. The first is traditional, which is characterized by the high value of traditions, the power of the past over the future, the power of accumulated results over the ability to form qualitatively new, deeper achievements. As a result, society as a whole is reproduced in historically established unchangeable forms while preserving the achieved social and cultural wealth of humanity. The second is liberal, which is characterized by a high value of a new result, more effective and more creative, as a result of which corresponding innovations appear in the sphere of culture, social relations, personality type, including innovations in mentality.
These two types of reproduction of civilizations are the poles of a single, but internally contradictory human civilization. The traditional civilization is primary, and the liberal one appears as an anomaly, emerging in an immature form in the era of antiquity. Only after many centuries does it become established among a limited part of humanity. Today it is becoming dominant thanks to its moral, intellectual, and technical achievements.
Both civilizations exist simultaneously. Liberal society gradually grows out of traditional society, taking shape in the depths of the Middle Ages. Christianity played a special role here, primarily with its requirement to develop the personal principle, although it was accepted in different ways by different forms of Christianity. New values gradually appeared in all layers of society in the sphere of spirit, forms of creative activity, in the economy, in particular, the development of commodity-money relations, law, rational logic and appropriate behavior. At the same time, in any country, despite liberalism, layers of traditional culture and corresponding forms of activity inevitably remain, in particular, in everyday life, Everyday life. In this case, elements of traditionalism find their place within the functioning mechanism of liberal civilization. Traditionalism may not integrate into liberal civilization. Moreover, traditionalism, even with a small number of supporters, can wage a fierce fight against liberalism, for example, terrorism.
The problem of the relationship between civilizations is extremely acute; it is of paramount importance today, when humanity is transitioning from traditional to liberal civilization. This is a painful and tragic transition, the severity and inconsistency of which threatens with catastrophic consequences.
The transition from traditional to liberal civilizations occurs in different ways. The first countries that embarked on this path (USA, England) followed it for a long time, gradually mastering new values. The second group of countries (Germany) embarked on the path of liberalism when pre-liberal values still occupied mass positions in them. The growth of liberalism was accompanied by crises, a powerful anti-liberal reaction, and attempts to stop the further development of liberal civilization at its immature level. It was in such countries that fascism developed. It can be understood as the result of the fear of a society that has already embarked on the path of liberal civilization, but is trying to slow down this process by resorting to archaic means, primarily through a return to tribal ideology, which acts as racism leading to genocide and race wars. Having suppressed liberalism, fascism, however, did not affect developed utilitarianism, private initiative, which ultimately comes into conflict with authoritarianism.
Third countries (Russia) are moving to liberalism under even less favorable conditions. Russia was characterized by the powerful influence of serfdom, which led to the fact that economic development itself occurred not so much through the development of the labor market, capital, goods, but, above all, through a system of forced circulation of resources by the forces of an archaic state. The most important thing is that the real increase in the importance of commodity-money relations, the development of utilitarianism and free enterprise among the broad masses of the population caused discontent and a desire to go against the government, which has ceased to “equal everyone.” Therefore, liberalism in Russia was completely destroyed (the Cadets). However, liberalism did not die. The utilitarian desire for the growth of goods merged with the modernization tendencies of part of the intelligentsia, which made it possible to restore archaic statehood in its worst forms. The Soviet government tried to cultivate the achievements of liberal civilization, but rigidly accepted them as means for goals alien and hostile to liberalism.
Unlike the first two groups of countries, Russia has not crossed the border of liberal civilization, although it has ceased to be a country of the traditional type. A certain intermediate civilization arose, where forces arose that prevented both the transition to a liberal civilization and the return to a traditional one.
In addition, Russian civilization of the last three centuries is characterized by extreme contradictory development, accompanied by a deep split in society and culture.
IN public consciousness In Russia, there are polar assessments of the specifics of Russian civilization. Slavophiles and Eurasians stood for the uniqueness of Russia, while Westerners assessed it as underdeveloped compared to the West. Such a division may indicate the incompleteness of the process of formation of Russian civilization: it is still in a state of civilizational search, it is a country of developing civilization.
The civilizational approach to Russia testifies to its backwardness from the West, and the cultural one - to its originality and uniqueness, manifested in the highest rises of the human spirit. There is a gap between the civilizational and cultural appearance of Russia. Civilizational backwardness exists in the economic, political and everyday spheres. Hence the numerous attempts at modernization. But in a cultural sense, Russia occupies an outstanding place. Russian culture became the soul of Russia, shaped its face and spiritual appearance. It was in the sphere of spiritual and cultural creativity that the national genius showed himself. The history of civilization and the history of culture are divergent values that can diverge far from each other. The gap between civilizations and culture, between body and soul is what ultimately divided Europe and Russia. In this confrontation, Russia seemed to take the side of culture, and Europe - civilization, not without damage to culture.
For a significant part of educated society, already in the 19th century, Western civilization became synonymous with the complete despiritualization of life, its extreme rationalization and formalization, the discrediting of the highest moral and religious values, and the transfer of the center of gravity from the spiritual to the material sphere. The majority of the Russian intelligentsia did not accept the reality of industrial mass society, seeing in it a denial of the ideals and values of Western European culture itself. An ambivalent attitude toward the West arose, combining recognition of its undoubted merits in the development of science, technology, public education, and political freedoms with rejection of a civilization that had degenerated into “philistinism.” Hence the search for the “Russian idea”, which would allow us to find a formula for life more worthy than in the West. Modernization is necessary, but without loss of originality. In relation to Western civilization, Russia is not an antipode, but a special type - another opportunity for its development. This type has not really taken shape, but exists only in the form of a project, an idea, but it must be taken into account when developing any program for reforming the country. Cultural tradition, spiritual continuity - this is what must be taken into account in the course of reforms.
Russia needs the practical reason of the West, just as the West needs the spiritual experience of Russia. Russia faces the problem of synthesis, reconciliation of the main achievements of Western civilization with its own culture. It is based on the affirmation of a special type of human solidarity, which is not reducible to economic and political-legal forms. It's about about a certain spiritual community that connects people regardless of private and national interests. This ideal has its source not so much in economic and political forms as in religious, moral and purely cultural forms. human life, originating in Orthodox ethics. F. M. Dostoevsky designated this quality as “worldwide responsiveness.”
So, in the person of the West and Russia, we are not dealing with two different civilizations, but with one, albeit developing in different directions. If the West gives priority to economic growth and strengthening legal regulation public life, then Russia, without denying either the role of economics or law, appeals, first of all, to culture, to its moral foundations and spiritual values, striving to make them the criterion of social progress. Russia does not deny Western civilization, but continues it in the direction of creating a universal civilization, in the direction of its reconciliation with the cultural and moral foundations of human existence. Russia and the West are two components of European civilization as a whole; through their confrontation, the mechanism of self-development of European civilization was realized.
The Eurasian character of Russian civilization is manifested in the existence of European and Eastern elements in their organic unity in society.
European features are primarily associated with Christianity, which dominates Europe. This means ideological unity, the existence general principles morality, understanding the role of the individual and his freedom, in particular freedom of choice. The East Slavic tribes, having begun to form their culture in pagan, mythological forms, bypassing their rationalization in the paradigms of their own culture according to the type of antiquity, immediately replaced them with the Christian faith. It should be borne in mind that such a step was not caused by the problem of economic or sociocultural lag, but was rather of a purely political nature in search of integration with Byzantine culture. Therefore, the process of Christianization of Rus', although it proceeded differently than in the West, still had pan-European cultural origins, rooted in ancient spiritual and intellectual traditions.
Initially, Byzantium had a significant influence, which was manifested in the “bookishness” philosophical ideas, art, architecture. Then, from the 18th century onwards, the influence of European forms of culture (science, art, literature) increased, rationalism and secularization of culture developed, the education system, European philosophy, socio-economic and political thought were borrowed. “Westerners” appeared in the social movement, formed in line with the ideology of the Enlightenment, including Marxism. In the Soviet Union, post-industrial orientations, including value orientations, began to take shape, although this process had its own specifics (changes affected the upper strata of society, there was a mechanical copying of forms without changing the essence). The European vector in politics was of particular importance for Russia. Although the settlement of Europe came from the east and the main vector of innovation of the Neolithic period was eastern, subsequently the main path of innovation in modern and recent times came from the west. Features of the territory, low population density, underdeveloped cities, poor assimilation of Roman principles - all this complicated the innovation process in Russia.
The eastern “Asian” features of Russia are associated with the fact that the country was formed on the territory of traditional eastern cultures and states (Turkic Khaganates, Khazaria, Volga Bulgaria, and later -
Caucasus and Turkestan, area of the Desht-i-Kipchak cultures). Significant influence on eastern Europe were influenced by the Huns, the conquests of Genghis Khan, the Golden Horde and its heirs.
In Russia, following the type of eastern despotism, the state actively intervened in basic economic relations, acting authoritarianly, it played a huge role in the formation of a special mentality, carried out educational functions in culture instead of the church, especially since the 18th century, putting the church in a dependent position. Through Mongol Empire much was borrowed from China: centralization, bureaucratization, the subordinate position of the individual in society, corporatism, the absence of civil society, introverted culture, its low dynamism, traditionalism. Eurasians even talked about civilization - a continent that formed from the Pacific Ocean to the Carpathians.
Russia - Eurasia is characterized by a certain stagnation and low innovation. In Western Europe, faster innovative development was caused by the development of cities, high population density, and the preservation of part of the ancient spiritual heritage, that is, the densification of the information space was stimulated. Russia could only partially compensate for the information hunger because waves of peoples swept through its territory, and it itself attracted more and more new peoples and countries into its borders (for example, the annexation of Ukraine, the Baltic states, Poland), but it could not fully take advantage of the innovations of hostile Europe. By this time, the East had lost its innovative potential. European civilization was formed as an information civilization, and this is its advantage over the others, here are the reasons for rapid variability and acceleration of evolution. Moreover, civilizations Western Europe could draw from past and other cultures the elements they needed and arrange them in accordance with their tasks. The advantage of the West is, first of all, the advantage of technology. Non-European peoples reached a high level in their technical improvements, but unlike the Europeans, they did not cultivate technology, did not adapt their existence to the rhythms and capabilities of the machine. However, the technology race is killing culture by consuming resources. The mechanism of European civilization has a built-in mechanism of universal destruction, incompatible with the creative principle that culture carries within itself. The question arises: is “advanced” Western civilization the highest stage of development? human society?
War is of particular importance in this race. Wars and militarization are a powerful stimulus for the development of technology. Thus, Peter I began solving Russia’s geopolitical problems with the creation of a modern army and navy and the corresponding industry.
It is impossible to understand the development of Russia in the 19th century, the evolution of its constituent territorial systems, without the fact of its militarization. The military factor largely set the vector of development of the USSR in the 30s and the post-war period.
The so-called “Tatar-Mongol yoke” (if it existed at all) was, with all its drama, a powerful wave of innovation that brought many innovations to Rus'. At the same time, other waves came from the West (Scandinavia, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania). The spaces of Northern Eurasia found themselves within the boundaries of a loosely connected, but unified territorial system with a total area of more than 4 million square meters. km from the Carpathians to the Yenisei. It was through the Horde that innovations from China, India and Central Asia, previously not available in Europe (eg firearms).
The great geographical discoveries gave historical respite to Eurasia by redirecting European activity to the West and South. But the Muscovite kingdom found itself on the periphery relative to the main centers of innovation; it was doomed to lag behind due to the delay of the innovation wave, which was intensified by the traditional closedness of our territorial system and the hostility of neighboring states. The collapse of Byzantium eliminated the influence of the southern hotbed of innovation. Low population and urban density sharply reduced creative potential and slowed down both the reproduction of innovations and the exchange of information about them and the exchange of innovations themselves.
The only adequate response to this historical conditionality of development was the formation of a “rigid” centralized state, which made it possible, through all types of concentration, to ensure high organization and the necessary dynamics. By the middle of the 16th century, after significant administrative reforms (the abolition of feeding, the introduction of elected zemstvo self-government, judicial reform, Zemsky Councils, the creation of a system of Orders, military reform), the autonomy of individual subsystems of the state at all its levels sharply decreased, and a rigid hierarchical structure was built. Moscow is becoming the dominant innovation center. It must be borne in mind that at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries the population of Rus' was 3 million people, and that of Europe - 85 million. Under Peter I, the population of Russia was 12 million people.
In the first half of the 19th century, contradictory processes were taking place in Russia: on the one hand, the country absorbed all new innovations, and on the other, internal contradictions led it to an increasing lag. In the 30s of the 19th century, Russia began industrial Revolution- a hundred years later than in England.
By the middle of the 19th century, Russia found itself at a bifurcation point. The reforms of the 60s marked the country's choice: it followed the path of creating a Western-style industrial society. Dependence on foreign capital investments increased, and the income from investments exported abroad was greater than the investments themselves, that is, Russia turned into a country that forcibly exports capital.
The reforms of the 60s of the 19th century are considered the starting point of Russia’s entry into the capitalist path of development, and this happened 250 years after the beginning of the capitalization of Western Europe. As a result, on the eve of the revolutions of 1917, Russia became a moderately developed capitalist country with a mass of feudal remnants. Major innovations are penetrating into Russia from the West simultaneously with a wide influx of foreign capital. At the same time, for newly annexed areas ( middle Asia) and the outskirts of the empire, Russia and Russians acted as carriers of innovation. In general, behind few centers modern Russia, following the path of capitalism, stretched a huge country with pre-industrial, and even pre-agrarian development.
After 1917, the Soviet Union made a giant innovation leap, primarily due to its own innovative potential under the conditions of a ten-year external blockade. Despite numerous political and social costs, the most important task of modernizing the country was nevertheless solved. The territorial structure of innovation centers has changed significantly in favor of Eastern regions countries. The USSR became the largest innovation center for the modernization of China, Korea, Vietnam and other countries. Moreover, it must be emphasized that this happened mainly due to the non-market nature of the main priorities of civilizational development. The most important innovative result was the formation of a unique Soviet civilization. A collectivist Soviet mentality was formed, sharply different from the Western one, genetically stemming in many respects from the ideals of conciliarity of the Orthodox tradition and the rural community. An ideal of the individual arose that put social rather than personal interests in the first place. For a significant part of society, sacrifice based on high passionarity has become the norm. The specifics of Soviet civilization do not make it possible for a formal statistical comparison of the parameters of Soviet civilization with Western ones. For example, in terms of per capita indicators, the USSR was inferior to the leading industrial countries, but this gap was reduced by 8-12 times compared to 1913, and the average indicators completely ignore the several times smaller social stratification, which in practice means approximately equal per capita indicators for average and more high for the lower strata of the population.
It should be noted that science developed at a faster pace than the economy as a whole. The level and quality of manufactured products and their competitiveness on world markets is evidenced by the example of the export of the most technically complex products - aviation equipment. During the period from 1984 to 1992, the USSR exported 2,200 aircraft of various classes and 1,320 helicopters (excluding Europe), while the United States - 860 and 280, respectively, China - 350 and 0, and European countries - 1,200 and 670. Total arms exports in the 80s it reached $20 billion a year, which debunks the myth about the purely raw material orientation of exports from the country.
As a result, due to social and technical innovations in the USSR after World War II, a powerful innovation complex of global significance arose, comparable in scale and productivity to a similar complex in the United States, and significantly superior in efficiency. Within the borders of the USSR, a model of a global system of relations between the innovative core and the periphery was developed, which ensured the possibility of constant growth in regions and countries with a catching-up type of development. The scale, structure and products of this complex prove that the USSR was part of the so-called Kondratieff wave ( new stage world development) with a minimal lag behind the leading countries of the world.
The result of Soviet modernization, unprecedented in world industrial history, which lasted for seventy years, was that the country almost halved its size. historical time in the main breakthrough areas of socio-economic development (including, of course, the cultural revolution and modernization of the agricultural sector) and radically changed both the macroeconomic proportions between large natural-economic territorial systems within the country and the content of the innovation processes occurring within them. Since 1917, the USSR has become an independent and the world's largest center of social, and since the post-war period, technological innovation. Thus, the possibility of a different development of European civilization was proven and the broadest opportunities for achieving a modern level of development were demonstrated for countries that lagged behind due to a number of reasons, including the fault of the West, which carried out colonial robbery and unequal exchange.
The so-called “perestroika”, focused primarily on Western innovations, led to disastrous results that turned Russian Federation and “post-Soviet” countries as the weakest link in the chain of industrial states. It is through the former USSR that the problems of world globalization are being solved. World experience shows that the benefits from market relations receive those who control the world's financial and information resources, and the costs are borne by countries with a predominance of the real sector of the economy. There is not a single example in the world where countries with a raw materials-based production and export have reached the level of high-tech innovative development. It must be borne in mind that it is precisely in the first years of the 21st century that the beginning of the downward Kondratieff wave occurs, and a global systemic crisis becomes on the agenda, which, apparently, was delayed by involvement in “ market economy» territories of the USSR and other former socialist countries.
One of the most important factors in the failure of reforming the USSR is the complete ignorance of the geographical, geopolitical and historical features of our country. What was not taken into account were the climate, the objectively high cost of labor reproduction, the increased energy intensity of the national product, even in the southernmost republics, high transport costs, the mentality of the elite and citizens, and other development factors. 8.2.
Lesson topic: Features of the formation and development of Russian civilization.
The role and place of Russia in world development.
The purpose of the lesson: analyze the main features of the formation and development of Russian civilization.
Lesson objectives:
Educational
Developmental
Educational
1. To familiarize students with the course “National History” and the goals of studying history
2. Consider the features of the development of Russian civilization
3. Consider the features of the formation of Russian civilization
4. Show how the natural and climatic factor influences the formation national character
1. Develop skills in educational and research work: work with statements
2. Formation of skills to draw up diagrams and tables
3. Development of cognitive interests of schoolchildren, critical thinking in the process of perceiving information and determining one’s own position
1. To instill in students a sense of pride and patriotism for their Fatherland and its history
Lesson type: lecture (introductory lesson)
Lesson plan:
1. Domestic history: study goals
2. Features of the development of Russian civilization
3. Features of the formation of Russian civilization
During the classes:
Lesson stage
Teacher activities
Student activities
Hello guys. Sit down.
Inclusion of students in the educational process.
II. Studying new topic
You can’t understand Russia with your mind You can’t measure it with a common yardstick It’s something special You can only believe in Russia
F.I. Tyutchev
Tyutchev’s words are well known, often quoted, arouse a feeling of national admiration and pride, but sometimes serve as an excuse for one’s own carelessness.
Does Russia really have its own special path, its own destiny and special historical destiny? Let's try to figure this out today.
Question: How do you understand what history is?
Story studies the past, its development, patterns and features of evolution (that is, changes, transformations)
in space-time dimensions.
The most important thing for every person is National history
.
Question: Why do we study history?
History helps us understand our special place in a long series of human generations: who we are, where our historical roots are, what place our people occupy
in the history of Europe and Asia, what are its relationships with other countries and peoples. History is designed to show life in everything
diversity - greatness and downfalls, wonderful deeds, wonderful achievements
humanity and mistakes.
Goals (studying history):
1. Studying history in order not to make mistakes
of the past. History of the past
should teach us all. And this is one of its main purposes.
In response to talk that history has taught no one anything, the outstanding Russian historian V.O.
Klyuchevsky replied: “History teaches even those who do not learn from it:
she teaches them a lesson for ignorance and neglect.”
2. Past generations pass on to us their work skills, experience,
achievements, successes - material, spiritual,
cultural.
3. Education of patriotism. If we love and appreciate our Fatherland, if we wish it
good, if we achieve unity in the presentation of this good not only for ourselves, but for other people, if we are able to extract from our History the ways and methods of achieving this good, then Russia will survive
These are the most difficult times, and the “curtain” of Russian history will not fall.
4. Exploring role and place
people in global development.
Features of formation
Russian civilization
1. Begins to take shape from the 5th - 6th centuries, that is, it can absorb the heritage
eastern and ancient civilizations, as well as the influence of medieval European and Islamic cultures, Turkic peoples, Mongolia and China.
2. It experienced a significant impact of the Great Migration of Peoples.
3. Initially it develops as
multinational state
(a conglomerate of Finno-Ugric,
Slavic and nomadic peoples
4. From the 10th century (988) – the most powerful
center, stronghold of Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe, the closest
spiritual connection with countries
Balkan Peninsula (Greece,
Bulgaria, Serbia, etc.).
therefore, it adds up
idea of Orthodox brotherhood.
Features of development
Russian civilization
1 . constant call from outside
(nomadic peoples of the 9th - 10th centuries,
Mongol-Tatar invasion,
Polish-Lithuanian intervention,
Napoleon's invasion). Russia often acted as the last outpost.
2. Mongol-Tatar yoke -
the most powerful influence of Asia.
The emergence of the "eternal"
question in Russia historiography
– what is Russia – Europe or Asia?
(work with statements, see Appendix 1)
3. The entire history of Russia is the history of colonization. Famous historian Klyuchevsky called colonization “the main factor of Russian history.”
4. unfavorable natural
climatic conditions.
3 consequences
1. huge expenditure of strength and energy to ensure basic survival.
2. the formation of certain character traits that often contradict each other
(patience, humility // courage, perseverance, dedication)
3. controlling suppressive
role of the state
By the 19th century largest territory
Inexhaustible possibilities for
development, the richest natural
resources, on the one hand, and
the need for protection, on the other hand, even in Peaceful time
(the longest border length with others)
5 . The special role of the Russian
Orthodox Church in history
Russia. During the period of fragmentation
in Rus' - a church, in fact,
the only cementing
contributing factor
revival of the Russian state.
They answer the questions asked.
As the story progresses, teachers write down (history learning) goals.
The features of the formation of Russian civilization are recorded.
The features of the development of Russian civilization are recorded.
Work with statements.
Draw a diagram.
III. Summing up the lesson
Orally: notes in a notebook
In writing:
Write a mini-essay on one of the suggested topics:
a) Why is history needed? Why is it necessary to know the history of your Fatherland?
b) Explain the meaning of the expression: “History is the teacher of life”?
Write down homework
Annex 1
Handouts with sayings
Here are four groups of statements by poets, writers, and philosophers.
Determine what each group's opinion is.
1) No need for pipe dreams,
There is no need for beautiful utopias.
We are solving an old question:
Who are we in this old Europe?
V.Ya. Bryusov
T.N. Granovsky argued that Russia and the West have common roots and a common path of development; it is necessary to accept Western values (enlightenment, reason, progress, law, personal dignity).
2) We are wide in the wilds
and forests
Looks good in front of Europe
Let's make way! We'll turn around
to you
With your Asian face!
Yes, we are Scythians! Yes, Asians -
We.
With slanted and greedy eyes!
A.A. Block
I will stand facing east,
To the west along the ridge.
M.A. Voloshin
IN historical development Russia... has features that very noticeably distinguish it from the historical process of all countries of the European West and are reminiscent of the process of development of the great eastern despotisms.
G.V. Plekhanov
3) You can’t understand Russia with your mind,
The general arshin cannot be measured.
F.I. Tyutchev
A.S. Khomyakov argued that Russia has its own special path of development, in order to reach it, it is necessary to revive pre-Petrine Rus', the happiness of Russia lies in its exclusivity (in the peculiarities of Orthodoxy, the specifics of the state system and social life); it is necessary to rely on such values as conciliarity, love of the Philokalia, simplicity, non-covetousness, meekness, etc.
4)P.N. Milyukov:"Russia -
Asiape."
L.P. Karsavin:"Russia -
Eurasia".
We have someone else's head
But the convictions of the heart are fragile...
We are European words
And Asian actions.
N.F. Shcherbina
Our pride and conceit are European, but our development and actions are Asian. A.P. Chekhov
Russian civilization is the civilization of Measure. We are stubbornly pulled either to the west or to the east, but we have confidently taken our own place in the world.
What is the difference between Russian civilization and others? First of all, this is the principle by which countries and peoples united in the process of globalization. The West is showing a rather aggressive policy, expanding its zone of influence by oppressing or even destroying the aborigines. An example of this is the multimillion-dollar sacrifices during the “conquest of America,” and they did not stand on ceremony with the colonies, squeezing out resources like juice from an orange.
The origins of our Motherland had different moral principles. It is here that the basic characteristics of mentality, moral, ethical, anthropological and moral attitudes have been preserved. Our people are aware of and distinguish between true and imaginary values.
Throughout its history, Russia has not destroyed any of the indigenous peoples who live on its territory. Many were given writing and education in general. They harmoniously fit into a multimillion-dollar, multinational civilization, enriching each other's culture. Infrastructure was being created. The friendship of peoples was cultivated in line with mutual respect. The Russian concept of globalization is distinguished by goals and meaning of life.
Briefly 10th, 11th grade
- Red wolf - message about a rare animal
Among known species Animals in the fauna world are distinguished by those that have features due to which they can be classified as rare. It may be unusual appearance, warm skin or nutritious meat of an animal
- Crusades - message report grade 6
The Crusades represent the aggressive expansion of representatives of various knightly orders into the territory of the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean.
- The life and work of Seton-Thompson
Ernest Seton-Thompson (1860-1946), born Ernest Evan Thompson, is one of the famous Canadian writers who gained popularity for his unusual essays on nature.
- Magnetic field of the Earth - message report on physics (6th, 8th, 9th grade)
A magnetic field is a field arising from a current of charged particles. It can act on electric charges, as well as on bodies with magnetic properties.
Everyone cannot imagine planet Earth without flora, because plants are an integral part of all living things, thanks to which other living beings on the planet live
Russian civilization is one of the largest civilizational communities in Eurasia. In Eurasia, the civilizational development of mankind has reached its maximum concentration, where the maximum diversity of its models has emerged, including the interaction of East and West.
The multi-ethnicity and multi-confessional nature of Russia have made self-identification and “choice” difficult in the Eurasian space. Russia is characterized by the absence of a monolithic spiritual and value core, a “split” between traditional and liberal-modernist values, and a transformation of the ethnic principle. Hence the problems with national civilizational identity; one might say there is an identity crisis.
Belonging to the Russian civilization of many peoples and different religions is predetermined by the fact that they live together for a long time on a certain Eurasian territory, they are connected by centuries-old spiritual, social, human ties, the joint creation of cultural values and state structures, their common protection, common troubles and good luck - all this affirmed among the large and multi-confessional population a sense of participation in the destinies of Russia, a number of common ideas, preferences, and orientations that became deep for the psychology of Russian ethno-confessional communities.
The contribution of Russian civilization to the universal human treasure is primarily of a spiritual and cultural nature, manifesting itself in literature, moral and humanistic concepts, a special type of human solidarity, various types of art, and so on. It is precisely when relating, comparing the values of one civilization with the achievements of other civilizations that one most often encounters biased approaches and assessments. It is impossible to judge civilization by the specific socio-economic and political system of society, attributing their inherent vices and shortcomings to the essence of the life of Russian society. Civilization factors are long-term in nature and are reflected in cultural, religious, ethical characteristics, historical traditions, and mentality. It is necessary to take into account the differences between today's short-term needs and conditions and long-term ideas and interests, as well as the differences between ideologically neutral national interests and the ideological and political orientations and party preferences of individual social groups. With any model of social development, stability in Russia cannot be achieved without taking into account the peculiarities of its civilizational development: the idea of the priority of the interests of society, the spiritual factor, the special role of the state, harsh natural and climatic conditions, colossal distances, when natural resources are located where there is no population. It is necessary to combine traditional domestic culture and the value of modernization. It is advisable to implement the values and norms achieved by modern world civilization through domestic forms of social life.
It must be taken into account that 20% of the non-Russian population mainly live compactly on their historical lands, occupying about half of the territory of Russia, and are also partially scattered in the diaspora. Without a Russian foundation, including the unifying role of the Russian language, Russian society cannot exist, but at the same time there is no Russia without the voluntary union of other age-old ethno-confessional communities.
In the civilizational aspect, Russian culture is more all-Russian than purely ethnic, and this contributed to the creation of a great Russian culture that has gained worldwide recognition. It is necessary to take into account that Russian civilization is not innovative, but interpretative; transferring foreign achievements to Russian soil can produce brilliant results (for example, a Russian novel).
To understand the complexity of the paths of national history, it is necessary to imagine the features of the type of civilization and culture that Russia represents.
There are various classifications of civilization systems according to a certain principle, for example, religious. For a cultural analysis of the development of Russia, it is fruitful to consider the type of reproduction of society. The type of reproduction is a synthesized indicator and includes: 1) a special system of values; 2)
characteristics of social relations; 3) personality type associated with the specifics of mentality.
There are two main types of social reproduction. The first is traditional, which is characterized by the high value of traditions, the power of the past over the future, the power of accumulated results over the ability to form qualitatively new, deeper achievements. As a result, society as a whole is reproduced in historically established unchangeable forms while preserving the achieved social and cultural wealth of humanity. The second is liberal, which is characterized by a high value of a new result, more effective and more creative, as a result of which corresponding innovations appear in the sphere of culture, social relations, personality type, including innovations in mentality.
These two types of reproduction of civilizations are the poles of a single, but internally contradictory human civilization. The traditional civilization is primary, and the liberal one appears as an anomaly, emerging in an immature form in the era of antiquity. Only after many centuries does it become established among a limited part of humanity. Today it is becoming dominant thanks to its moral, intellectual, and technical achievements.
Both civilizations exist simultaneously. Liberal society gradually grows out of traditional society, taking shape in the depths of the Middle Ages. Christianity played a special role here, primarily with its requirement to develop the personal principle, although it was accepted in different ways by different forms of Christianity. New values gradually appeared in all layers of society in the sphere of spirit, forms of creative activity, in the economy, in particular, the development of commodity-money relations, law, rational logic and appropriate behavior. At the same time, in any country, despite liberalism, layers of traditional culture and corresponding forms of activity inevitably remain, in particular in everyday life. In this case, elements of traditionalism find their place within the functioning mechanism of liberal civilization. Traditionalism may not integrate into liberal civilization. Moreover, traditionalism, even with a small number of supporters, can wage a fierce fight against liberalism, for example, terrorism.
The problem of the relationship between civilizations is extremely acute; it is of paramount importance today, when humanity is transitioning from traditional to liberal civilization. This is a painful and tragic transition, the severity and inconsistency of which threatens with catastrophic consequences.
The transition from traditional to liberal civilizations occurs in different ways. The first countries that embarked on this path (USA, England) followed it for a long time, gradually mastering new values. The second group of countries (Germany) embarked on the path of liberalism when pre-liberal values still occupied mass positions in them. The growth of liberalism was accompanied by crises, a powerful anti-liberal reaction, and attempts to stop the further development of liberal civilization at its immature level. It was in such countries that fascism developed. It can be understood as the result of the fear of a society that has already embarked on the path of liberal civilization, but is trying to slow down this process by resorting to archaic means, primarily through a return to tribal ideology, which acts as racism leading to genocide and race wars. Having suppressed liberalism, fascism, however, did not affect developed utilitarianism, private initiative, which ultimately comes into conflict with authoritarianism.
Third countries (Russia) are moving to liberalism under even less favorable conditions. Russia was characterized by the powerful influence of serfdom, which led to the fact that economic development itself occurred not so much through the development of the labor market, capital, goods, but, above all, through a system of forced circulation of resources by the forces of an archaic state. The most important thing is that the real increase in the importance of commodity-money relations, the development of utilitarianism and free enterprise among the broad masses of the population caused discontent and a desire to go against the government, which has ceased to “equal everyone.” Therefore, liberalism in Russia was completely destroyed (the Cadets). However, liberalism did not die. The utilitarian desire for the growth of goods merged with the modernization tendencies of part of the intelligentsia, which made it possible to restore archaic statehood in its worst forms. The Soviet government tried to cultivate the achievements of liberal civilization, but rigidly accepted them as means for goals alien and hostile to liberalism.
Unlike the first two groups of countries, Russia has not crossed the border of liberal civilization, although it has ceased to be a country of the traditional type. A certain intermediate civilization arose, where forces arose that prevented both the transition to a liberal civilization and the return to a traditional one. In addition, Russian civilization of the last three centuries is characterized by extreme contradictory development, accompanied by a deep split in society and culture.
In the public consciousness of Russia there are polar assessments of the specifics of Russian civilization. Slavophiles and Eurasians stood for the uniqueness of Russia, while Westerners assessed it as underdeveloped compared to the West. Such a division may indicate the incompleteness of the process of formation of Russian civilization: it is still in a state of civilizational search, it is a country of developing civilization.
The civilizational approach to Russia testifies to its backwardness from the West, and the cultural one - to its originality and uniqueness, manifested in the highest rises of the human spirit. There is a gap between the civilizational and cultural appearance of Russia. Civilizational backwardness exists in the economic, political and everyday spheres. Hence the numerous attempts at modernization. But in a cultural sense, Russia occupies an outstanding place. Russian culture became the soul of Russia, shaped its face and spiritual appearance. It was in the sphere of spiritual and cultural creativity that the national genius showed himself. The history of civilization and the history of culture are divergent values that can diverge far from each other. The gap between civilizations and culture, between body and soul is what ultimately divided Europe and Russia. In this confrontation, Russia seemed to take the side of culture, and Europe - civilization, not without damage to culture.
For a significant part of educated society, already in the 19th century, Western civilization became synonymous with the complete despiritualization of life, its extreme rationalization and formalization, the discrediting of the highest moral and religious values, and the transfer of the center of gravity from the spiritual to the material sphere. The majority of the Russian intelligentsia did not accept the reality of industrial mass society, seeing in it a denial of the ideals and values of Western European culture itself. An ambivalent attitude toward the West arose, combining recognition of its undoubted merits in the development of science, technology, public education, and political freedoms with rejection of a civilization that had degenerated into “philistinism.” Hence the search for the “Russian idea”, which would allow us to find a formula for life more worthy than in the West. Modernization is necessary, but without loss of originality. In relation to Western civilization, Russia is not an antipode, but a special type - another opportunity for its development. This type has not really taken shape, but exists only in the form of a project, an idea, but it must be taken into account when developing any program for reforming the country. Cultural tradition, spiritual continuity - this is what must be taken into account in the course of reforms.
Russia needs the practical reason of the West, just as the West needs the spiritual experience of Russia. Russia faces the problem of synthesis, reconciliation of the main achievements of Western civilization with its own culture. It is based on the affirmation of a special type of human solidarity, which is not reducible to economic and political-legal forms. We are talking about a kind of spiritual community that connects people regardless of private and national interests. This ideal has its source not so much in economic and political as in religious, moral and purely cultural forms of human life, originating in Orthodox ethics. F. M. Dostoevsky designated this quality as “worldwide responsiveness.”
So, in the person of the West and Russia, we are not dealing with two different civilizations, but with one, albeit developing in different directions. If the West gives priority to economic growth and strengthening the legal regulation of public life, then Russia, without denying either the role of economics or law, appeals, first of all, to culture, to its moral foundations and spiritual values, striving to make them the criterion of social progress. Russia does not deny Western civilization, but continues it in the direction of creating a universal civilization, in the direction of its reconciliation with the cultural and moral foundations of human existence. Russia and the West are two components of European civilization as a whole; through their confrontation, the mechanism of self-development of European civilization was realized.
The Eurasian character of Russian civilization is manifested in the existence of European and Eastern elements in their organic unity in society.
European features are primarily associated with Christianity, which dominates Europe. This means ideological unity, the existence of common principles of morality, understanding of the role of the individual and his freedom, in particular freedom of choice. The East Slavic tribes, having begun to form their culture in pagan, mythological forms, bypassing their rationalization in the paradigms of their own culture according to the type of antiquity, immediately replaced them with the Christian faith. It should be borne in mind that such a step was not caused by the problem of economic or sociocultural lag, but was rather of a purely political nature in search of integration with Byzantine culture. Therefore, the process of Christianization of Rus', although it proceeded differently than in the West, still had pan-European cultural origins, rooted in ancient spiritual and intellectual traditions.
Initially, Byzantium had a significant influence, which was manifested in “bookishness,” philosophical ideas, art, and architecture. Then, from the 18th century onwards, the influence of European forms of culture (science, art, literature) increased, rationalism and secularization of culture developed, the education system, European philosophy, socio-economic and political thought were borrowed. “Westerners” appeared in the social movement, formed in line with the ideology of the Enlightenment, including Marxism. In the Soviet Union, post-industrial orientations, including value orientations, began to take shape, although this process had its own specifics (changes affected the upper strata of society, there was a mechanical copying of forms without changing the essence). The European vector in politics was of particular importance for Russia. Although the settlement of Europe came from the east and the main vector of innovation of the Neolithic period was eastern, subsequently the main path of innovation in modern and recent times came from the west. Features of the territory, low population density, underdeveloped cities, poor assimilation of Roman principles - all this complicated the innovation process in Russia.
The eastern “Asian” features of Russia are associated with the fact that the country was formed on the territory of traditional eastern cultures and states (Turkic Khaganates, Khazaria, Volga Bulgaria, and later -
Caucasus and Turkestan, area of the Desht-i-Kipchak cultures). The Huns, the conquests of Genghis Khan, the Golden Horde and its heirs had a significant influence on eastern Europe.
In Russia, following the type of eastern despotism, the state actively intervened in basic economic relations, acting authoritarianly, it played a huge role in the formation of a special mentality, carried out educational functions in culture instead of the church, especially since the 18th century, putting the church in a dependent position. Through the Mongol Empire, much was borrowed from China: centralization, bureaucratization, the subordinate position of the individual in society, corporatism, the absence of civil society, introverted culture, its low dynamism, traditionalism. Eurasians even talked about civilization - a continent that formed from the Pacific Ocean to the Carpathians.
Russia - Eurasia is characterized by a certain stagnation and low innovation. In Western Europe, faster innovative development was caused by the development of cities, high population density, and the preservation of part of the ancient spiritual heritage, that is, the densification of the information space was stimulated. Russia could only partially compensate for the information hunger because waves of peoples swept through its territory, and it itself attracted more and more new peoples and countries into its borders (for example, the annexation of Ukraine, the Baltic states, Poland), but it could not fully take advantage of the innovations of hostile Europe. By this time, the East had lost its innovative potential. European civilization was formed as an information civilization, and this is its advantage over the others, here are the reasons for rapid variability and acceleration of evolution. In addition, the civilizations of Western Europe could draw from past and other cultures the elements they needed and arrange them in accordance with their tasks. The advantage of the West is, first of all, the advantage of technology. Non-European peoples reached a high level in their technical improvements, but unlike the Europeans, they did not cultivate technology, did not adapt their existence to the rhythms and capabilities of the machine. However, the technology race is killing culture by consuming resources. The mechanism of European civilization has a built-in mechanism of universal destruction, incompatible with the creative principle that culture carries within itself. The question arises: is “advanced” Western civilization the highest stage of development of human society?
War is of particular importance in this race. Wars and militarization are a powerful stimulus for the development of technology. Thus, Peter I began solving Russia’s geopolitical problems with the creation of a modern army and navy and the corresponding industry. It is impossible to understand the development of Russia in the 19th century, the evolution of its constituent territorial systems, without the fact of its militarization. The military factor largely set the vector of development of the USSR in the 30s and the post-war period.
The so-called “Tatar-Mongol yoke” (if it existed at all) was, with all its drama, a powerful wave of innovation that brought many innovations to Rus'. At the same time, other waves came from the West (Scandinavia, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania). The spaces of Northern Eurasia found themselves within the boundaries of a loosely connected, but unified territorial system with a total area of more than 4 million square meters. km from the Carpathians to the Yenisei. It was through the Horde that innovations from China, India and Central Asia, previously unavailable to Europe (for example, firearms), penetrated.
The great geographical discoveries gave historical respite to Eurasia by redirecting European activity to the West and South. But the Muscovite kingdom found itself on the periphery relative to the main centers of innovation; it was doomed to lag behind due to the delay of the innovation wave, which was intensified by the traditional closedness of our territorial system and the hostility of neighboring states. The collapse of Byzantium eliminated the influence of the southern hotbed of innovation. Low population and urban density sharply reduced creative potential and slowed down both the reproduction of innovations and the exchange of information about them and the exchange of innovations themselves.
The only adequate response to this historical conditionality of development was the formation of a “rigid” centralized state, which made it possible, through all types of concentration, to ensure high organization and the necessary dynamics. By the middle of the 16th century, after significant administrative reforms (the abolition of feeding, the introduction of elected zemstvo self-government, judicial reform, Zemsky Councils, the creation of a system of Orders, military reform), the autonomy of individual subsystems of the state at all its levels sharply decreased, and a rigid hierarchical structure was built. Moscow is becoming the dominant innovation center. It must be borne in mind that at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries the population of Rus' was 3 million people, and that of Europe - 85 million. Under Peter I, the population of Russia was 12 million people.
In the first half of the 19th century, contradictory processes were taking place in Russia: on the one hand, the country absorbed all new innovations, and on the other, internal contradictions led it to an increasing lag. In the 30s of the 19th century, the industrial revolution began in Russia - a hundred years later than in England.
By the middle of the 19th century, Russia found itself at a bifurcation point. The reforms of the 60s marked the country's choice: it followed the path of creating a Western-style industrial society. Dependence on foreign capital investments increased, and the income from investments exported abroad was greater than the investments themselves, that is, Russia turned into a country that forcibly exports capital.
The reforms of the 60s of the 19th century are considered the starting point of Russia’s entry into the capitalist path of development, and this happened 250 years after the beginning of the capitalization of Western Europe. As a result, on the eve of the revolutions of 1917, Russia became a moderately developed capitalist country with a mass of feudal remnants. Major innovations are penetrating into Russia from the West simultaneously with a wide influx of foreign capital. At the same time, for the newly annexed regions (Central Asia) and the outskirts of the empire, Russia and the Russians acted as carriers of innovation. In general, beyond the few centers of modern Russia, following the path of capitalism, stretched a huge country with pre-industrial, and even pre-agrarian development.
After 1917, the Soviet Union made a giant innovation leap, primarily due to its own innovative potential under the conditions of a ten-year external blockade. Despite numerous political and social costs, the most important task of modernizing the country was nevertheless solved. The territorial structure of innovation centers has changed significantly in favor of the Eastern regions of the country. The USSR became the largest innovation center for the modernization of China, Korea, Vietnam and other countries. Moreover, it must be emphasized that this happened mainly due to the non-market nature of the main priorities of civilizational development. The most important innovative result was the formation of a unique Soviet civilization. A collectivist Soviet mentality was formed, sharply different from the Western one, genetically stemming in many respects from the ideals of conciliarity of the Orthodox tradition and the rural community. An ideal of the individual arose that put social rather than personal interests in the first place. For a significant part of society, sacrifice based on high passionarity has become the norm. The specifics of Soviet civilization do not make it possible for a formal statistical comparison of the parameters of Soviet civilization with Western ones. For example, in terms of per capita indicators, the USSR was inferior to the leading industrial countries, but this gap was reduced by 8-12 times compared to 1913, and the average indicators completely ignore the several times smaller social stratification, which in practice means approximately equal per capita indicators for average and more high for the lower strata of the population.
It should be noted that science developed at a faster pace than the economy as a whole. The level and quality of manufactured products and their competitiveness on world markets is evidenced by the example of the export of the most technically complex products - aviation equipment. During the period from 1984 to 1992, the USSR exported 2,200 aircraft of various classes and 1,320 helicopters (excluding Europe), while the United States - 860 and 280, respectively, China - 350 and 0, and European countries - 1,200 and 670. Total arms exports in the 80s it reached $20 billion a year, which debunks the myth about the purely raw material orientation of exports from the country.