Research On Russian Classical Eurasianism

Eurasianism was born in 1920 after the October Revolution and revived in 1990s, which is 70 years later. Both of these two events occurred in the periods when Russian had fundamental changes and suffered from severe crisis, but this is not by chance. Since the beginning of its birth, Eurasianism has expressed that Russian intellectuals want to express the aspiration of"What is Russia"in a clearer and more accurate way, and they wish to find a true way and construct a true future for Russia with its own characteristic.Eurasianism takes its name from a geological conception on Russia's identity. It considers Russia as a different and complete"Euroasia", and creatively puts forward the thinking mode, value concept, ideology and state conception of Eurasianism on the basis of the above conception, which provide the basic features of"Subject of Russia"in the broadest sense which can be understood by the people, nation, type of religion, geopolitic organism, specific individual ethnic group.This thesis puts its research emphasis in the period of classical Eurasianism. Its delimitation of period is from 1920 to 1930, and it aims at clarifying the whole process of Eurasianism movement and the essence and content of Eurasianism's basic thought, proclaiming the two sides of this school of thought through contemporary thinkers'criticism to it and modern Eurasianism's preservation to it and making research on it thoroughly and systematically.Except from preface and conclusion, the whole thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter I. General Survey of Eurasianism: This chapter summaries the Eurasianism movement from three aspects, including the breeding of social culture, thought origin and the beginning and ending of movement.The great changes occured in Russian society in the beginning of 20th Century made the thoughts become active. The end of western revolution, the victory of the October Revolution and complex situations in the inside and outside of Soviet Russia made the intellectuals in exile feel that their motherland was facing a new historical choice, Russians needed a new self-identity and intellectuals must shoulder the historical mission of choosing the road of state, Eurasianism was born under such a social and cultural background. In fact, the birth of Eurasianism showed that the intellectuals were disappointed in European civilization, disapproved the October Revolution and worried about the socalist systme taken by Soviet Russia.Eurasianism has inherited the powerful tradition of Russian historical philosophy and is a regularity conclusion of thought development of Russia in many centuries. Its anti-western ally is Slavophile. Both of them criticize the western world throughly and are eager to establish a people's Russia and a true Russian culture on the basis of Orthodox Church. Eurasianists draw great inspiration from the culture-historical type theory of Danilovsky, and they explain Russia as a unique and complete culture-geographical world. The spiritul pillar of Russia's independence is the byzantinism of Leontiev. Eurasianists accept the above thoughts and enrich and develop them at the same time.According to the analysis of the whole development history of Eurasianism movement, it can be divided into the following periods:1)Establishment Period: from 1920 to 1924, Eurasianists published many collected works through cooperation and confirmed baic thought; 2)Development Period: from 1925 to 1927, Eurasianists actively carried out political propaganda for their doctrines, which opened a vigorous movement in overseas Russians; 3)Split and Crisis Period: from 1928 to 1931, this school was splited from within into the pro-Soviet Union's"Left Wing"and the"Right Wing"holding fast to the original stand, so Eurasianism is foundamentally disintegrated as a school of politics; 4)Silence Period: from 1932 to 1939, Eurasianism only existed as a school of academic in overseas Russians, and it was in silence for the reasons of the departure of principle figures, the stable internal affairs of Soviet Union and the breakout of WWII, etc.Chapter II. Basic Thought of Eurasianism: This chapter systematically explains the thought of Eurasianism from six aspects, including religious philosophy, culture, geopolitics, enthnology, national legal system and economics.The first step of Eurasianism is spiritual movement. Eurasianists rejects socialism and accept religion. In their minds, idology originates from religion, true idology draws its basis from Orthodox Church, and then becomes a complete organic thought system which has close relation with specific life. They confirm that Orthodox Church is the existence basis of Russia-Eurasian, and connect every aspect of thought system and theory together on the basis of religion.Euroasianists oppose Eurocentric perspective. They think the world is multi-polar, oppose the suppression and aggression on civilizations and cultures of other ethnic groups from Roman-Germanic Civilization and emphasize on the important meaning of developing ethnic culture. They consider Russia-Eurasian as a unified and completer civilization, and an independent spiritual home and ethnic culture space, i.e. a unique"Eurasian Cultural World".Eurasianists are the first to introduce the new concept of"geopolitics"to Russian academic circle. They put forward that Russia is a special formation area of civilization, is the third continent besides Europa and Asia——Eurasia and is an independent space with special geopolitic meaning. They have proved the spatial determinism of Russia-Euroasian through the concept of"Development Area"and a series of situations on the correlation between"Development Area"and economic movement.Eurasianists think that the ethnic basis of Russia-Eurasian is the fusion of Slavdic ethnic group and Turan ethnic group. They reject to classify Eurasian ethnic groups into Russian and non-Russian, emphasize that only"All Euroasian Nationalism"can get rid of the ethnic basis of nationlism and Bolshevik thought system shall be replaced by Eurasianism unified thought with fully developed religion and developed culture, i.e. combine the nationalism of Soviet Union-Eurasian with all Eurasian nationlisms.The state ideal of Eurasianism is"State of Truth"and"State with Guarantee", its political system is"Thought Govern System", its state organization is"People Govern System"and its administrive mode is"Eurasianism Election"."State of Truth"follows religious value and commits itself into the materilization of Orthodox Church's ideas. i.e. change the ideas into unspiritual and political ideas."State of Democracy"gurantees to promote active social principle and stable social and political programm, which enable the state to have gurantees."Thought Govern System"means the rule of Euraisanism ideological purpose."People Govern System"means the future regime shall care its people, meet the need of people in a broad sense and rely on the sufficient support from people."Euraisanism Election"means the principle which is in conformity with ethnic thought and implementing election from the people.Patriarchy and self-subsistence economic strategies make the Eurasianists invent the economic system of"State Ownership-Private Ownership"and business mode of"Employer System". The economic system of"State Ownership-Private Ownership"shall be the combination of capitalism economic system and socialism economic system, and its essence is to try to establish the best mutual relationship between state ownership and private ownership. The purpose of"Employer System"is to make every proprietor and employer become"Kind Employer"with social responsibility, sympathy and public morality orientation.Chapter III. Russian History View of Eurasianism: This chapter explains the unique Russian history view of Eurasianism from three aspects, including the inner features of Russia and social development, influence Mongolia's rule and revolution theoryEurasianists are the first to examine the Russian history under the historical framework of Eurasian. Not only has the historical movements of Russian tallied with the Eurasian integration, but it also has increased the process. The Soviet state founded in 1917 is a continuation of the national tradition of Russian Empire, and also has the feature of"Military Empire".Eurasianists' evaluation on Mogolian Tartar is different from other schools of thought. They affirm the important meaning of Mongolia's rule and the decisive influence of the East on Russian history process. Tartar's rule greatly promotes the formation of state organization of Russia and"casts up the uniqueness of Russian Spirit"at the same time. Mongolia is different from the western Catholicism and does not have the danger of enslaving"Russian Spirit", so Orthodox Church is maintained. Eurasianists are the first to bring the effect of the eastern nomad on Russian history into Russian historiography. Not only have they brought the eatern and Turan world into Russian history, but they also seem to examine history from another world——a world which is in prairie and Asia, but not in the western world. Not only has this enriched Russian history, but it also has made people notice some neglected aspects in Russian history process, especially the mutual relationship between Russian and the nomad.Eurasianists establish their own revolution theory and implement deep analysis on the October Revolution from many aspects, including the essence, meaning, phrase, reason and historical comparison, etc. In their opinion, the October Revolution is a political disater for Russia, is a stress response born in Russian society against the culture discontinuity caused by westernization, and is a ethnic revival method born under the situation that Russia was in peril. What is different from other schools in overseas Russians is that they face the fact, notice the active side of revolution, think communism is only a temperoray and transional choice and they can take culture recovery road under the banner of communism. From this perspective, Bolshevism is acceptable and can be used, because it can keep the independence of Russian Eurasian Culture against the pressure of Occidentalism sphere.Chapter IV. Debate on Eurasianism: Eurasianism has attracted heated debate since the beginning of its birth. Many elites of overseas Russians have taken part in the debate. This chapter sums up the contemporary comments on Eurasianism with thought subject classification.Research on comments of Eurasianism make people think that those critics strive to consider Eurasianism as their certain known theory, and want to criticize Eurasianism under the framework of their political thought. For example, liberalists see totalitarainism and Russian racialism in Eurasianism, new Slavophiles see unsuccessful Slavism, national royalism see geographical escapism and betryal of ethnic career, religious philsophers consider it as Utopia, and critics of Soviet Union consider it as school of religous mysticism or the petty bourgeoisie's compromise to Boshevik...Some criticisms are indeed reasonable, but they only see certain aspect of Eurasinism, which is the same as blind men touching an elephant, and want to expand the certain trend of Eurasianism into its whole body.Chapter V. Revival and Continuation of Eurasianism: Eurasianism has many loyal thought followers. This chapter explains the first classical Eurasianism successor and many current schools of new Eurasianism.Though classical Eurasianism has lowered its banner and silenced its drum in 1930s as a political thought movement, it is far from being forgotten. Since the beginning of 1990s, Russian society has rekindled its interest on Eurasianism thought. Eurasianism appear on Russian thought and political platform again after a silence of more than half a century, and play the role of"Last Protector"of Russian non-western patriotism again. The revival of Eurasianism shows that though its thought is not proved in the practice, its vitality and influence still exist and are far from becoming out of date. Though the reason and purpose of the birth of modern Eurasianism are different, they all influenced by the enlightenment of classical Eurasianism and inherit its tradition in different degrees. Generally speaking, classical Eurasianism's magnet-like attraction to many enthusiastic scholars, statesmen and political commentators shows that Eurasianism worldview and doctrine have high potentiality in understanding the essence of Russian civilization.In conclusion, Eurasianists seek ethnic self-conciousness, want to establish a whole set of thought system and form a unique ideology with broad ethnic culture and national soul. Though Eurasianism is in controversial since the beginning of its birth, we shall give unbiased evaluation on its academic origin and its thought. It is another innovation after"Occidentalism"and"Slavism"in Russian historical philosophy. Not only has it reflectd Russian intellectuals' spirit exploration through thick and thin, but it also represents the latest incarnation of Russian thought development history.