The semantic significance of Slavophilism in the evaluation of V. O. Klyuchevsky
Abstract
The evaluative views of V.O. Klyuchevsky on the legacy of the Slavophiles are studied. A multivariate view of history helped the positivistically oriented scientist to act as a constructive and critical observer, able to «get away» from the extremes of the Slavophile-Westernist dispute. To understand the issue, V.O. Klyuchevsky's reflection on the activities of two representatives of the Slavophiles, K.N. Bestuzhev-Ryumin and I.S. Aksakov, is presented. Identifying their strengths and weaknesses, Klyuchevsky came to the conclusion that Slavophilism is an endless stream of thoughts aimed at the search for cultural identity. The ideas of the Slavophiles about the importance of independent thinking were formulated long before the famous magazine and salon polemics of the thirties and forties of the nineteenth century, and will continue to be filled with new content in the future.