Biography of Radishchev. Basics of a great education

Composition

The first and only writer in the 18th century who penetrated "the essence social contradictions”, guessed “the spirit of history itself, primarily popular movements”, abandoned the usual rationalistic schemes and moved on to “creating the concept of a revolutionary developing reality,” was Radishchev. The life and work of A. N. Radishchev is a bright feat in the name of the liberation of the Russian peasant, the entire Russian people from serfdom, from the shackles of autocracy. A revolutionary writer, he had the right to expect the grateful gratitude of his descendants:

* Yes, my cold ashes will be overshadowed by Majesty,
* what I sang today;
* Yes, young man, hungry for glory,
* Coming over my dilapidated coffin,
* In order to broadcast with feeling:
* “Under the yoke of power, this one born
* Wearing gilded shackles,
* We were the first to prophesy liberty.

These expectations of Radishchev were completely justified. In the article “On the National Pride of the Great Russians,” Gorky wrote: “It is most painful for us to see and feel what violence, oppression and abuse our beautiful homeland is subjected to by the royal executioners, nobles and capitalists. We are proud that these acts of violence evoked a rebuff from among our midst, from among the Great Russians, that this milieu brought forward Radishchev, the Decembrists, the raznochintsy revolutionaries of the 1970s, that the Great Russian working class created in 1905 a mighty revolutionary party of the masses, that the Great Russian peasant began at the same time become a democrat, began to overthrow the priest and the landowner ... ". This article precisely defines the place of Radishchev in the process of historical and revolutionary development of Russia.

Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was born on August 20, 1749. His parents were wealthy noble families, and the relatives of the future writer on the mother's side (Argamakovs) can be attributed to the advanced noble intelligentsia. A seven-year-old boy was brought to Moscow and settled in the house of a relative of M. F. Argamakov, the rector of the recently opened Moscow University. The course of the university gymnasium Radishchev, together with the nephews of M. F. Argamakov, took place at home.

In 1762 he was enrolled in the Corps of Pages. In the corps, Radishchev studied diligently, was on duty in the palace as a page of the empress. When Catherine II needed legal scholars, she sent Radishchev to the University of Leipzig among the most successful pages. During the five years (1766-1771) he lived in Leipzig, Radishchev studied, in addition to the compulsory legal sciences, medicine, natural Sciences, literature, mastered several foreign languages. "At their own discretion" Russian students listened to lectures by Platner (on philosophy, physiology), the poet-moralist Gellert. But even more important was Radishchev's acquaintance with those literary trends that were replacing classicism. The pan-European pre-romantic trend was shaped in German literature by the forces of the poets of "storm and stress", the search for national content and forms of its embodiment in art increased. One should also take into account the influence that the ideas of the French Enlightenment had on the formation of the views of the young Radishchev. The book of Helvetius "On Reason" had a particularly strong impact on Russian students, they "read it with attention and learned to think with it." However, the main source of the emerging worldview of the future writer was life itself - "circumstances", in the terminology of Radishchev. And they developed in such a way that it was in Leipzig that the first clash of Russian students with the personification of autocracy in the person of Major Gkzhum (“our guide”, as Radishchev ironically calls him in autobiographical work"The Life of Fyodor Vasilyevich Ushakov").

F. V. Ushakov became the head of the "rebellion" of students - an outstanding and remarkable personality in many respects. Having reached the rank of second major and having a promotion in the near future, he refused everything and obtained permission to go with the young men to Leipzig, where he was distinguished by special curiosity, exceptional perseverance in the study of sciences, far exceeding the range of compulsory subjects. He supervised extracurricular reading for his younger colleagues. Radishchev is indebted to him for the realization that it is necessary not only to have knowledge, but also to be able to apply it, that in his activity a person must rely on solid ethical principles. Throughout his life, Radishchev carried the testament of the deceased "leader of his youth." “Remember that you need to have rules in order to be blissful (happy), and that you must be firm in thoughts in order to die fearlessly.”

After graduating from the University of Leipzig, Radishchev and many of his comrades expected that a wide field of activity for the benefit of the fatherland would open before them. Their delight knew no bounds when they "saw the boundary separating Russia from Courland." But soon they were deeply disappointed. “I confess, and you, my dear friend (meaning A.M. Kutuzov.), admit the same thing, that what followed after our return, this heat in us much moderated.” Radishchev, together with A. M. Kutuzov and A. K. Rubanovsky, in December 1771 received a more than modest place as recorders in the Senate (although they were nevertheless awarded the rank of titular adviser). Radishchev's dissatisfaction with the appointment he received (which he will recall later in The Life of F.V. Ushakov) was not his personal offense. He was outraged by the short-sightedness and short-sightedness of the rulers, who crippled young souls, extinguished the impulses of youth for the “common good”:

* “Oh, you rulers who control the minds and will of the peoples, how often you are short-sighted and short-sighted, how many times you miss an opportunity for the common good, quenching the leaven that uplifts the heart of youth. Once you have humbled him, you will often make him a cripple forever.

Researchers have shown that Radishchev's work in the First Department of the Senate gave him the opportunity, by repeatedly compiling extracts (extracts) of cases sent to the Senate, and the decisions of the Senate themselves, to be convinced of the abuses and arbitrariness of officials and nobles, in the complete lack of rights of the people. Bribery, mutual responsibility, red tape were also widespread among the officials of the office of the senate. Radishchev created an impressive picture of the relationship of petitioners to the bureaucratic world in The Life of F. V. Ushakov, most likely not only from the story of his friend, but also from his own observations: “ Most of petitioners think, and often rightly, that in order to achieve their goal, they need the affection of all those who, even with their little finger to their grandfather, touch them; and for this they use caresses, flattery, flattery, gifts, indulgence, and everything that you can think of, not only to the very one on whom the fulfillment of their request depends, but to all his close associates, somehow: to his secretary, to his secretary secretary, if he has one, to scribes, watchmen, lackeys, mistresses, and if a dog happens to be here, they won’t let him pet him either.

In January 1772, Radishchev, having received a long-term leave (until July 1772), spent it on his father's estate near Penza. Here Radishchev got acquainted with the situation of the peasants no longer through documents, but directly in live communication. In 1773, Radishchev joined the staff commander of the Finnish division, General Ya. A. Bruce, as an auditor, whose duties included overseeing the work of regimental courts and overseeing the divisional treasury. In March 1775, Radishchev retired. During these years, Radishchev's life, flowing in the sight of relatives and close acquaintances, was perceived by them as the most “pleasant era” for her, as it is said in the biography of Radishchev, written by his son II. L. Radishchev, It also says further: “Being loved by his boss, he became a member of the best St. Petersburg societies through him; his taste was formed, and he received dexterity and pleasantness in getting around. But at the same time, faced in the service on a daily basis with the unjustified bloody cruelty of military courts, with the arbitrariness and uncontrollability of officers from the nobility, "who did not care about either health or food" ionic, Radishchev begins a persistent search for the causes, the roots of the social evil that has spread throughout the whole country. The intensity of this search increased and deepened by events that were formidable for the feudal world of Russia - the peasant war under the leadership of Pugachev.

In 1780, on the recommendation of A. R. Vorontsov, Radishchev moved to the St. Petersburg customs as an assistant to the elderly manager G. Yu. Dahl, where he served until the days of his arrest on June 30, 1790. In this official field, Radishchev proved to be an enterprising, courageous and incorruptible person, and at the Commerce Collegium he often challenged the decisions of the President himself and sought to revise them; But the most important thing that these years were remarkable for was the literary and social activity of Radishchev.

Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev(August 20 (31), 1749, Moscow - September 12 (24), 1802, St. Petersburg) - Russian writer, philosopher, poet, director of the St. Petersburg Customs and member of the Law Drafting Commission.
Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was born on August 20, 1749 in a family with noble roots. Grandfather Radishchev was a batman with Peter I, then he served in the guards. Radishchev's father, being very an educated person, preferred military service to housekeeping. Alexander himself was the first child in the family.

Radishchev was educated according to the gymnasium program, then was sent to Leipzig to continue his education. After returning to St. Petersburg, Radishchev was appointed recorder in the Senate.
Alexander Nikolaevich dedicated his whole life literary work. Many works on historical, political and philosophical topics belong to his pen. Most famous work- "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" - was completed in 1790. In the same year, Radishchev was arrested for distributing this book and sent to exile in Siberia, where he spent five years. Until 1801, Alexander Nikolaevich lived under constant police surveillance.
Then, at the request of A.R. Vorontsov, Radishchev became a member of the Law Drafting Commission, where he worked for the rest of his life. Radishchev died on September 12, 1802.

The educators of Alexander Radishchev were serfs. In the early years of Nikolai's life, they taught him to write and read. It was then that the child discovered the hardships of the life of the peasants - from the serfs he learned about the hardness of the neighboring landowners. The stories of their bullying of the serfs left a deep mark on the boy's soul, which later turned into hatred for the oppressors. Upon reaching the age of six, a Frenchman was invited to the house, who later turned out to be a runaway soldier. And he practically did not know French. I had to part with him. In 1756, the father took his son to Moscow - to the house of his mother's relative. The latter was the nephew of the director of Moscow University. Alexander Radishchev began his studies at the gymnasium program of the university. True, he received knowledge at home, but, like high school students, he attended exams, participated in debates, and had access to a bookstore at the university. Alexander read a lot.

In 1762 Alexander Radishchev became a page. By this time, he was a young man who received an excellent education. As a result, he was enrolled in court service. He became a page. In 1764 Alexander made his first journey. As part of the Corps of Pages, he accompanied the Empress from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Arriving in Petersburg, he found himself completely alone in a city unfamiliar to him; here he spent more than two years - from 1764 to 1766.

Radishchev was sent to study in Germany. In 1766, the Empress sent twelve young nobles abroad - to the University of Leipzig. Alexander Radishchev also went to comprehend legal sciences. Among young people, Fedor Vasilyevich Ushakov was noticeably different - being the eldest (at that time he was 19 years old), he had an acute thirst for knowledge (for this he even left a profitable position as an official), thanks to which he soon became the head of the group. Studying in Leipzig lasted five years . In addition to studying the subjects provided for by the program, Alexander Radishchev was interested in literature, foreign languages, and medicine. Students began to come to Russia in 1771.

Literary activity of Alexander Nikolaevich began while studying in Leipzig. Here he began to translate the pamphlet politician Geek who had political themes. The choice of this particular topic for translation speaks of the corresponding hobbies of Radishchev.

In 1771, Radishchev received the post of recorder. After returning to his homeland, Alexander Nikolayevich became a recorder in the Senate. He received the rank of titular adviser.

Radishchev did not limit himself to work in the Senate. In his spare time, he was engaged in the translation of the works of G. B. de Mably, a famous French thinker. In the summer of 1773, Alexander Nikolaevich wrote an autobiographical story. It was called "The Diary of One Week". Work in such an institution as in the Senate gave the young author a huge amount of material for reflection on the fate of the country, the established state system, etc. Radishchev described some details of his service in his work. True, this work saw the light many years later - the story was published only in 1811 (after the death of the author).

Alexander Nikolaevich learned about the beginning of the uprising led by Pugachev in the Finnish division. Here he received the post of regimental judge. It is likely that Radishchev personally saw the execution of Pugachev on January 10, 1775. This uprising led Alexander Nikolaevich to the idea of ​​how much autocracy harms the development of the country, and also to the fact that it is possible to get rid of the oppressive serfdom only with the help of armed struggle.

In March 1775, Alexander Nikolaevich insisted on his resignation. However, after some time, Radishchev was accepted to the post of legal consul. Count Vorontsov, who occupies a prominent place among state dignitaries, appreciated the abilities of Alexander Nikolayevich and contributed to the appointment of Radishchev to a higher post. In 1780 he became assistant manager of the St. Petersburg customs, where he served until 1790. Then he was appointed manager of the St. Petersburg customs.

The best works of art by Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev date back to the 80s of the 18th century. It was during these years that excellent historical, artistic and journalistic works were created. In 1780, Radishchev wrote The Tale of Lomonosov. The ode of Alexander Nikolaevich "Liberty", written in the period from 1781 to 1783, opened the Russian revolutionary trend in literature. In 1788, Radishchev finished working on his second autobiographical story. Its contents included a description of Radishchev's studies in Leipzig. He spoke about his comrades, with whom he whiled away university years and the important role of education and upbringing. In the same years, Alexander Nikolaevich wrote several treatises on the history of the Fatherland and the state of customs in the Russian Empire.

Radishchev is a member of the Society of Verbal Sciences. He entered it in the second half of the 80s. At meetings of the society, Radishchev read his articles, in which he talked about nobility, compassion, good manners and other virtues.

Radishchev is the author of "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow". main book V life path Radishchev was completed in 1790. This work immortalized the name of Alexander Nikolaevich in the memory of his descendants. Only now the empress did not appreciate his efforts at all, she called him a "rebel", and even "worse than Pugachev" - such acute problems were covered in this book. No one dared to publish this work of Radishchev, so Alexander Nikolayevich took up this business personally - he organized a printing house on the second floor of his St. Petersburg house. Radishchev was able to publish about 650 copies of the book, some of which went on sale in May 1790. Radishchev presented several copies to his friends. What did Catherine the Great not like when she actually read this book? Its main theme was the inhumane attitude of the landlords towards their serfs. But more than that, he dared to justify the armed rebellion of the peasants against the cruel masters - to change the political system, in his opinion, it was possible only by an uprising.

Radishchev was arrested for his beliefs. This happened on June 30, 1790. Colonel Goremykin arrived at his house and presented an arrest warrant. Radishchev was imprisoned Peter and Paul Fortress The investigation into his case lasted two weeks. The verdict passed by the Petersburg Chamber of the Criminal Court sounded menacing - Alexander Nikolayevich Radishchev was sentenced to death penalty. However, the empress did not approve it, the likelihood of public discontent was too high. A. N. Radishchev was sent into exile for a period of 10 years. The place of exile was Siberia - the Ilim prison.
An interesting fact is that after Alexander Nikolayevich, some of his peasants, or rather, from former peasants, went to the place of exile - before his arrest, he gave them freedom.

Radishchev went to Siberia in light dress. By September 8, 1790, he could barely stand on his feet - exhaustion and great nervous tension had an effect. In addition, he went on a journey in a light dress. Probably, Catherine thought about the death of Radishchev on the road, then the public would not be as alarmed as in the case of a possible execution. However, Count A.R. Vorontsov, when he learned that Alexander Nikolayevich was being taken to prison, ordered that the Tver governor buy Radishchev everything he needed - Vorontsov personally sent him the money.

"Journey from Petersburg to Moscow." was prohibited. A significant part of the published books Radishchev burned with his own hand even before his arrest. 6 copies were found by the relevant authorities and destroyed. Less than fifteen copies of "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" published by Radishchev have survived to our time.
Those problems that Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev highlighted in his work continued to disturb the minds of Russian people for another century. And how many persecutions the book endured! Even in 1905, all attempts to publish a book in full version were suppressed by the authorities, who saw in it the undermining of monarchical foundations and revolutionary notes in the mood of the author. Radishchev was accused of infringement on good name important nobles, especially civil servants, as well as persuading the peasants of the need for violent action against the landowners.

Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev spent five years in exile in Siberia. In the Ilim prison, he worked social activities And homework: he healed, personally vaccinated against smallpox (knowledge of medicine was useful to him here), conducted various experiments on smelting ore, built a smelting furnace at home, which he used to bake dishes. However, the most important occupation for Radishchev in Siberia also remained literature - among his works are philosophical treatises, the story of Yermak, as well as historical investigation.
Alexander Nikolayevich was freed from exile by the new Tsar, Paul I, who ordered him to live in his village. But Radishchev never became a completely free man - he lived constantly under police supervision. Police representatives could show up at the estate of Alexander Nikolayevich at any time they pleased. They had full right read all of Radishchev's letters, copied their contents and provided copies to Paul I. Such a life was very hard, only work saved Radishchev.

After the expiration of the exile, Radishchev did not become free. In 1800, when the ten-year term of exile allotted to Radishchev by Empress Catherine the Great ended, Paul I did not stop monitoring Alexander Nikolaevich.

Alexander I released Radishchev. An amnesty decree was issued by the new emperor on May 31, 1801. Count A. R. Vorontsov contributed to the return of the noble title to Alexander Radishchev. He could again live in St. Petersburg and was even included in the Law Drafting Commission, in which he worked until last days life. At the age of 53 - in 1802 - he died, the circumstances of his death are not fully understood, because his last words were "Descendants will avenge me." Most likely, in them he expressed his compassion for the serfs, hope for the mind of the autocrats and resentment for the state order in Russia.

Origin

Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was the first-born in the family of Nikolai Afanasyevich, the son of the Starodub colonel and large landowner Afanasy Prokopyevich. The first years of the writer's life were spent in Nemtsov (near Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga province).

Education

Apparently, his father, a pious man who was fluent in Latin, Polish, French and German. As was customary at that time, the child was taught Russian literacy according to the hour book and the psalter. When he was 6 years old, a French teacher was assigned to him, but the choice turned out to be unsuccessful: the teacher, as they later learned, was a runaway soldier. Shortly after the opening of Moscow University, around 1756, his father took Alexander to Moscow, to his uncle's house (Radishchev's mother, nee Argamakova, was related to the director of the university, Alexei Mikhailovich Argamakov). Here Radishchev was entrusted to the care of a good French tutor, a former adviser to the Rouen parliament, who fled from the persecution of the government of Louis XV. The Argamakov children had the opportunity to study at home with professors and teachers of the university gymnasium, so it cannot be ruled out that Alexander Radishchev trained here under their guidance and passed, at least in part, the program of the gymnasium course.

In 1762, Radishchev was granted a page and went to St. Petersburg to study in the page corps. The page corps did not train scientists, but courtiers, and the pages were obliged to serve the empress at balls, in the theater, at ceremonial dinners. Four years later, among a group of students, he was sent to Leipzig to study law. Of Radishchev's comrades, Fyodor Vasilievich Ushakov is especially remarkable for the enormous influence he had on Radishchev, who wrote his Life and published some of Ushakov's works.

Service

In 1771, Radishchev returned to St. Petersburg and soon entered the service of the Senate, as a recorder, with the rank of titular adviser. He did not serve long in the Senate: his poor knowledge of the Russian language interfered, the camaraderie of the clerks, and the rude treatment of his superiors weighed him down. Radishchev entered the headquarters of General-in-Chief Bruce, who commanded in St. Petersburg, as chief auditor and stood out for his conscientious and courageous attitude to his duties. In 1775, he retired, and in 1778 he again entered the service of the Commerce Collegium, later (in 1788) moving to the St. Petersburg customs.

Literary activity

Studying Russian and reading led Radishchev to his own literary experiments. First, he published a translation of Mably's "Reflections on Greek History" (1773), then began to compile the history of the Russian Senate, but destroyed the written one.

Radishchev's literary activity begins only in 1789, when he published "The Life of Fyodor Vasilyevich Ushakov with the addition of some of his writings." Taking advantage of the decree of Catherine II on free printing houses, Radishchev set up his own printing house at his home and in 1790 printed his “Letter to a friend living in Tobolsk, on duty of his rank” in it. Following him, Radishchev released his main work, "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow." The book begins with a dedication to Comrade Radishchev, A. M. Kutuzov, in which the author writes: “I looked around me - my soul became wounded by human suffering”. He realized that the person himself is to blame for these sufferings, because " he does not look directly at the objects around him". To achieve bliss, one must take away the veil that closes natural feelings. Everyone can become an accomplice in the bliss of his own kind, resisting delusions. “This is the thought that prompted me to draw what you will read”.

The book sold out quickly. Her bold reflections on serfdom and other sad phenomena of the then social and public life attracted the attention of the Empress herself, to whom someone delivered the Journey. Although the book was published with the permission of the established censorship, persecution was raised against the author. Radishchev was arrested, his case was "entrusted" to S. I. Sheshkovsky. Imprisoned in a fortress, during interrogations, Radishchev declared his repentance, refused his book, but at the same time, in his testimony, he often expressed the same views that were cited in Journey. The Criminal Chamber applied to Radishchev the articles of the Code on “ an attack on public health”, about “conspiracies and treason” and sentenced him to death. The verdict, transmitted to the Senate and then to the Council, was approved in both instances and presented to Catherine.

Link

On September 4, 1790, a personal decree was passed, which found Radishchev guilty of a crime of oath and the position of a subject of publishing a book, “filled with the most harmful mindsets, destroying public peace, detracting from due respect for the authorities, striving to produce indignation among the people against the chiefs and bosses, and finally with insulting and violent expressions against the dignity and power of the king”; Radishchev’s guilt is such that he fully deserves the death penalty, to which he was sentenced by the court, but “by mercy and for everyone’s joy” the execution was replaced by a ten-year exile to Siberia, to the Ilimsk prison. Soon after his accession (1796), Emperor Paul I returned Radishchev from Siberia. Radishchev was ordered to live in his estate in the Kaluga province, the village of Nemtsov.

Return and death

After the accession of Alexander I, Radishchev received complete freedom; he was summoned to Petersburg and appointed a member of the commission to draw up laws. There is a legend about the circumstances of Radishchev's suicide: summoned to the commission to draw up laws, Radishchev drew up a "Draft Liberal Code", in which he spoke about the equality of all before the law, freedom of the press, etc. The chairman of the commission, Count P. V. Zavadovsky, made him a strict suggestion for his way of thinking, sternly reminding him of his former hobbies and even mentioning Siberia. Radishchev, a man with severely disturbed health, was so shocked by Zavadovsky's reprimand and threats that he decided to commit suicide, drank poison and died in terrible agony.

Nevertheless, in the book "Radishchev" by D.S. Babkin, published in 1966, we find an exhaustive explanation of the circumstances of Radishchev's death. The sons who were present at his death testified to a severe physical illness that struck Alexander Nikolayevich already during his Siberian exile. The immediate cause of death was an accident: Radishchev drank a glass with “strong vodka prepared in it to burn out the old officer epaulettes of his eldest son” (aqua regia). Burial documents speak of natural death. On September 13, 1802, the register of the church of the Volkovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg listed among the buried “colleague adviser Alexander Radishchev; fifty three years, died of consumption, ”priest Vasily Nalimov was at the removal. A.P. Bogolyubov, of course, was aware of these circumstances, and he gives the name of his grandfather for Orthodox commemoration.

Descendants

Daughters - Anna and Fyokla. The latter married Pyotr Gavrilovich Bogolyubov and became the mother of the famous Russian marine painter Alexei Petrovich Bogolyubov.

Son - Athanasius, governor of Podolsk province in 1842, Vitebsk province in 1847-1848, in 1851 he was governor of Kovno.

Address in St. Petersburg

Memory

In Moscow there are Upper and Lower Radishchevskaya streets, on the Upper one there is a monument to the writer and poet.

Radishcheva street is in Central region St. Petersburg.

Also, streets in Petrozavodsk, Irkutsk, Murmansk, Tula, Tobolsk, Yekaterinburg, Saratov, and a boulevard in Tver are named after Radishchev.

Pushkin on Radishchev

A special page in the perception of the personality and creativity of Radishchev by Russian society was the attitude of A.S. Pushkin. Acquainted with the "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" in his youth, Pushkin clearly focuses on Radishchev's ode "Liberty" in his ode of the same name (1817 or 1819), and also takes into account in "Ruslan and Lyudmila" the experience of "heroic songwriting" of Radishchev's son, Nikolai Alexandrovich , "Alyosha Popovich" (Pushkin mistakenly considered the author of this poem to be Radishchev the father). The Journey turned out to be in tune with the tyrannical and anti-serfdom moods of the young Pushkin. Despite the change political positions, Pushkin, even in the 1830s, retained an interest in Radishchev, acquired a copy of the Journey, which was in the Secret Chancellery, sketched a Journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg (conceived as a commentary on Radishchev's chapters in reverse order). In 1836, Pushkin tried to publish fragments from Radishchev's Journey in his Sovremennik, accompanying them with the article Alexander Radishchev, his most detailed statement about. In addition to a bold attempt for the first time since 1790 to acquaint the Russian reader with a forbidden book, here Pushkin also gives a very detailed criticism essay and its author.

"A petty official, a man without any power, without any support, dares to arm himself against general order, against autocracy, against Catherine! ... He has neither comrades nor accomplices. In case of failure - and what success can he expect? - he alone is responsible for everything, he alone appears to be a victim of the law. We never considered Radishchev a great man. His act always seemed to us a crime, in no way excusable, and "Journey to Moscow" a very mediocre book; but with all that, we cannot but recognize in him a criminal with an extraordinary spirit; a political fanatic, mistaken, of course, but acting with amazing selflessness and with some kind of chivalrous conscience....

"Journey to Moscow", the cause of his misfortune and fame, is, as we have already said, a very mediocre work, not to mention the barbaric style. Complaining about the unfortunate state of the people, about the violence of the nobles, etc. exaggerated and vulgar. The outbursts of sensibility, cutesy and puffed up, are sometimes extremely funny. We could confirm our judgment with many extracts. But the reader should open his book at random in order to ascertain the truth of what we have said.…

What was the goal of Radishchev? What exactly did he want? It is unlikely that he himself could have answered these questions satisfactorily. His influence was negligible. Everyone has read his book and forgotten it, despite the fact that there are a few prudent thoughts in it, a few well-meaning assumptions that had no need to be clothed in quarrelsome and pompous expressions and illegally stamped in secret printing presses, with an admixture of vulgar and criminal idle talk. . They would be of real benefit if presented with more sincerity and favor; for there is no persuasiveness in reproach, and there is no truth where there is no love" .

Criticism of Pushkin, in addition to auto-censorship reasons (however, the publication was still not allowed by censorship) reflects "enlightened conservatism" recent years the poet's life. In the drafts of the "Monument" in the same 1836, Pushkin wrote: “Following Radishchev, I glorified freedom”.

Perception of Radishchev in the XIX-XX centuries.

The idea that Radishchev was not a writer, but a public figure, distinguished by his amazing spiritual qualities, began to take shape immediately after his death and, in fact, determined his further posthumous fate. I. M. Born, in a speech to the Society of Fine Arts Lovers, delivered in September 1802 and dedicated to the death of Radishchev, says about him:

« He loved truth and virtue. His fiery philanthropy longed to illuminate all his fellows with this unfading ray of eternity.».

N. M. Karamzin characterized Radishchev as an “honest person” (“honnête homme”) (this oral testimony was given by Pushkin as an epigraph to the article “Alexander Radishchev”). The idea of ​​the superiority of Radishchev's human qualities over his writing talent is especially succinctly expressed by P. A. Vyazemsky, explaining in a letter to A. F. Voeikov the desire to study Radishchev's biography:

« With us, as a rule, a person is invisible behind the writer. In Radishchev, on the contrary: the writer is on the shoulder, and the man is his head higher».

With such a perception, of course, the article by A. S. Pushkin should also be correlated. And the assessment given in 1858 by A. I. Herzen when publishing his Journey in London (he puts Radishchev among “our saints, our prophets, our first sowers, the first fighters”), which resulted in 1918 in the characterization of A. V. Lunacharsky: " prophet and forerunner of the revolution”, goes back, undoubtedly, to this assessment of “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, which was formed in the first decades of the 19 artwork but as a human feat. G. V. Plekhanov noticed that under the influence of Radishchev’s ideas “ major social movements took place late XVIII- first thirds of XIX centuries» . It should be noted that during interrogations of the Decembrists, when investigative committee, appointed by Emperor Nicholas I and led by him, raising the question " from what time and from where did they borrow the first free-thinking thoughts", I wanted to show the random nature of the Decembrists' speech, which allegedly arose under the influence of borrowed ideas - the Decembrists really called the names of the great French enlighteners, English economists, German philosophers, cited examples from the works the greatest thinkers ancient world, but the vast majority of them called, first of all, the name of Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev - so deeply into the consciousness of advanced Russian society did the freedom-loving, anti-serfdom ideas of Radishchev penetrate.

Until the 1970s, the opportunities for the general reader to get acquainted with the Journey were extremely limited. After in 1790 almost the entire circulation of Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow was destroyed by the author before his arrest, until 1905, when the censorship was lifted from this work, the total circulation of several of his publications hardly exceeded one and a half thousand copies. In 1905-1907, several editions were published, but after that, Journey was not published in Russia for 30 years. In subsequent years, it was published several times, but mainly for the needs of the school, with cuts and scanty circulations by Soviet standards. Back in the 1960s, complaints from Soviet readers were known that it was impossible to get The Journey in a store or a district library. It wasn't until the 1970s that Journey began to be produced on a truly massive scale. In 1930-1950, under the editorship of Gr. Gukovsky carried out a three-volume " complete collection works of Radishchev”, where for the first time many new texts, including philosophical and legal ones, were published or attributed to the writer.

In the years 1950-1960, romantic hypotheses about the “hidden Radishchev” (G.P. Shtrom and others) arose, which were not confirmed by the sources - that Radishchev continued, allegedly after the exile, to finalize the Journey and distribute the text in a narrow circle of like-minded people. At the same time, it is planned to abandon the straightforward propaganda approach to Radishchev, emphasizing the complexity of his views and the great humanistic significance of the individual (N. I. Eidelman and others). IN contemporary literature the philosophical and journalistic sources of Radishchev - Masonic, moralizing and educational and others are studied, the multilateral problems of his main book, which cannot be reduced to the struggle against serfdom, are emphasized.

Philosophical views

“The philosophical views of Radishchev bear traces of the influence of various trends in European thought of his time. He was guided by the principle of reality and materiality (corporality) of the world, arguing that "the existence of things, regardless of the power of knowledge about them, exists on its own." According to his epistemological views, "the basis of all natural knowledge is experience." At the same time, sensory experience, being the main source of knowledge, is in unity with “reasonable experience”. In a world in which there is nothing “besides corporality”, man also takes his place, a being as corporeal as all nature. A person has a special role, he, according to Radishchev, is the highest manifestation of corporality, but at the same time is inextricably linked with the animal and plant world. “We do not humiliate man,” Radishchev asserted, “by finding similarities in his composition with other creatures, showing that he essentially follows the same laws as him. And how else could it be? Isn't it real?

The fundamental difference between man and other living beings is the presence of his mind, thanks to which he "has the power of things known." But an even more important difference lies in the ability of a person to moral actions and assessments. “Man is the only creature on earth who knows the evil, evil”, “a special property of man is an unlimited opportunity to both improve and corrupt.” As a moralist, Radishchev did not accept the moral concept of " reasonable selfishness“, believing that it is by no means “selfishness” that is the source of the moral feeling: “man is a sympathetic being”. Being a supporter of the idea of ​​“natural law” and always defending the idea of ​​the natural nature of man (“the rights of nature never run out in man”), Radishchev at the same time did not share the opposition of society and nature, cultural and natural principles in man, outlined by Rousseau. For him, the social being of man is as natural as natural. According to the meaning of the case, there is no fundamental boundary between them: “Nature, people and things are the educators of man; climate, local position, government, circumstances are the educators of peoples. Criticizing the social vices of Russian reality, Radishchev defended the ideal of a normal “natural” way of life, seeing in the injustice reigning in society, in the literal sense, a social disease. He found such “diseases” not only in Russia. Thus, assessing the state of affairs in the slave-owning United States of America, he wrote that "one hundred proud citizens are drowning in luxury, and thousands do not have reliable food, nor their own shelter from the heat and scum (frost)". In the treatise “On Man, on His Mortality and Immortality”, Radishchev, considering metaphysical problems, remained true to his naturalistic humanism, recognizing the inseparability of the connection between the natural and spiritual principles in man, the unity of body and soul: “Does the soul grow with the body, not with it? does it grow manly and strong, does it wither and grow dull with it? At the same time, not without sympathy, he quoted thinkers who recognized the immortality of the soul (Johann Herder, Moses Mendelssohn and others). Radishchev's position is not an atheist's, but rather an agnostic's, which fully corresponded to general principles his worldview, already quite secularized, oriented towards the “naturalness” of the world order, but alien to theomachism and nihilism.

Bibliography

1. Radishchev A. N. Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow - St. Petersburg: b. i., 1790. - 453 p.
2. Radishchev A. N. Prince M. M. Shcherbatov, "On the damage to morals in Russia"; A. N. Radishchev, "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow." With a preface by Iskander (A. I. Herzen). - London, Trubner, 1858.
3. Radishchev A. N. Works. In two volumes./Ed. P. A. Efremova. - SPb., 1872. (edition destroyed by censorship)
4. Radishchev A. N. Complete works of A. Radishchev / Ed., entry. Art. and approx. V. V. Kallash. T. 1. - M.: V. M. Sablin, 1907. - 486 p.: p., The same T. 2. - 632 p.: ill.
5. Radishchev A. N. Full composition of writings. T. 1 - M.; L .: Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1938. - 501 p.: p. The same T. 2 - M .; L.: Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1941. - 429 p.
6. Radishchev A. N. Poems / Entry. Art., ed. and note. G. A. Gukovsky. Ed. collegium: I.A. Gruzdev, V.P. Druzin, A.M. Egolin [i dr.]. - L.: Owls. writer, 1947. - 210 p.: p.
7. Radishchev A. N. Selected works / Intro. Art. G. P. Makogonenko. - M.; L.: Goslitizdat, 1949. - 855 p.: P, k.
8. Radishchev A. N. Favorites philosophical writings/ Under the general editorship. and with preface. I. Ya. Schipanova. - L.: Gospolitizdat, 1949. - 558 p.: p.
9. Radishchev A. N. Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow. 1749-1949 / Enter. article by D. D. Blagogoy. - M.; L.: Goslitizdat, 1950. - 251 p.: ill.
10. Radishchev A. N. Selected philosophical and socio-political works. To the 150th anniversary of his death. 1802-1952 / Under the general ed. and with enter. article by I. Ya. Shchipanov. - M.: Gospolitizdat, 1952. - 676 ​​p.: p.
11. Radishchev A. N. Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow / Enter. article by D. Blagogo. - M.: Det. lit., 1970. - 239 p. The same - M.: Det. lit., 1971. - 239 p.
12. Shemetov A.I. Breakthrough: The Tale of Alexander Radishchev. - M .: Politizdat, 1974 (Fiery revolutionaries) - 400 s, ill. Same. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - 1978. - 511 p., ill.

Notes

The Pugachev uprising, European educational thought, the lessons of the revolutionary war in America and the revolutionary situation in France contributed to the emergence of a revolutionary trend in Russian enlightenment. This turning point in the history of Russian social thought is associated with A. N. Radishchev (1749-1802), with his famous book"Journey from Petersburg to Moscow". Radishchev wrote that the peasant was "riveted into bonds" and "dead in law". The nobles force the peasants "to go to corvée six times a week", charge them excessive dues, deprive them of their land, use the "devil's invention" - a month. The landlords torture the peasants "with rods, whips, batoges or cats", hand them over as recruits, exile them to hard labor, "sell them in chains like cattle." No serf is "safe in his wife, a father in his daughter". The landlords leave "to the peasant only what they cannot take away - air, only air." From this, Radishchev drew the conclusion that it was necessary to "completely abolish slavery" and transfer all the land to the peasant - "the maker of it."
Radishchev went even further than his predecessors in understanding the connection between serfdom and autocracy. The autocracy protects the interests of the nobles and the “great otchinniks”, serfdom reigns in the governing bodies and courts. He was the first among Russian thinkers to emphasize that religion and the church are one of the most important weapons of oppression of the people.
Radishchev firmly believed that after the revolutionary abolition of serfdom, the peasantry would soon “have torn out great men to intercede for the beaten tribe; but they would have other thoughts about themselves and be deprived of the right to oppress.” Radishchev filled the concept of "patriotism" with revolutionary content. A real patriot, according to Radishchev, can only be considered one who subordinates his whole life and activity to the interests of the people, who fights for his liberation, for the establishment of “prescribed laws of nature and government”.
According to Radishchev, "autocracy is the state most contrary to human nature." He argued that truth and justice do not live in the “royal chambers”, that the clothes of the king and his entourage are “stained with blood and soaked in tears” of the people, therefore the hopes of enlighteners for a “wise man on the throne” are in vain. Radishchev's thought went further: "There is no example before the end of the world, perhaps there will be no example for the tsar to voluntarily let go of something from his power."
With his works “Letter to a Friend”, “A Conversation about the Son of the Fatherland”, “The Life of Fyodor Vasilyevich Ushakov” and “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, Radishchev prepared readers for the perception of the idea of ​​the need for a revolution. In the ode "Liberty", the most important stanzas of which he included in "Journey", Radishchev performed a genuine anthem in honor of the future victorious revolution. How the greatest holiday of mankind, he draws a day when “an army of branny will arise everywhere”, “the riveted peoples will rejoice” and rush “to wash their shame in the blood of the tormentor crowned”. The holiday will be the day when the rebellious people will win.
After the revolution and the execution of the tsar, according to Radishchev, “the people will sit on the throne” and liberty will reign - “liberty is a gift, an invaluable source of all great deeds.” He highly appreciated Cromwell for having taught "how nations can avenge themselves", and "He executed Charles at the trial".
When publishing Journey from Petersburg to Moscow, banned in Russia, Herzen wrote about its author: “…. He rides along the high road, he sympathizes with the suffering of the masses, he speaks with coachmen, yard servants, with recruits, and in every word we find with hatred for violence - a loud protest against serfdom.
Demanding the complete emancipation of the peasants, pointing to the revolutionary path to it, Radishchev did not rule out the path of reforms from above. In this there was neither a deviation from their basic views, nor a manifestation of liberal illusions and hesitations. He had in mind reforms that would not strengthen the existing system, but would weaken it, hasten its death. He developed a plan for the gradual implementation of measures that should culminate in the "perfect abolition of slavery."
However, Radishchev had little faith that the landowners, those “greedy beasts, insatiable leeches,” would agree to reforms or that the monarch would implement them. He threatened the landlords that “the slaves, burdened with heavy bonds, rage in their despair, will break the heads” of their hated masters with iron.
Radishchev believed that the revolution is not an empty dream: “The gaze penetrates the thick veil of time, hiding the future from our eyes. I see through a whole century,” he wrote.
Catherine II understood what a danger to the autocratic serf system is the criticism of serfdom, combined with the proclamation revolutionary ideas, approval of spontaneous peasant riots and speeches with revolutionary program.
The name of Radishchev is associated with a special stage of revolutionary, republican thought in Russia. Following Radishchev, who was hunted down by the autocracy, the Radishchevites, his contemporaries and followers, took the baton from his hands and passed it on to the generation of Pestel and Ryleev, Griboyedov and Pushkin. If a galaxy of great French enlighteners ideologically prepared the bourgeois revolution in Western Europe, then Radishchev had the great honor of acting as the ideologist of the beginning revolutionary movement in Russia.
In the days when in France the armed people stormed the Bastille, in Russia Radishchev was publishing his Journey from Petersburg to Moscow. At the same time, Ya. B. Knyaznin completed his last tragedy"Vadim Novgorodsky", which was the pinnacle of noble freethinking. Yakov Borisovich Knyazhnin (1742-1791), nobleman, during for long years taught Russian literature in the land gentry corps and was the author of many tragedies. In his "Vadim" he gave the image of a republican, opposing it to the "enlightened monarchy". Unlike Radishchev, the people in Knyazhnin's tragedy are depicted as a passive force. Nevertheless, from the pages of "Vadim", as well as "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow", albeit in different ways, there were calls for a fight against the autocracy.
From the very first days of the revolution in France, its slogans and deeds captured many minds in Russia. Contemporaries say that " revolutionary events were a daily subject of conversation and heated debate about principles and their presentation, and it was impossible not to take part in them. Revolutionary magazines, books and pamphlets penetrated into Russia. They aroused keen interest in noble mansions and gostiny dvor, in barracks and university auditoriums, in capitals and provinces. Thoughtful observers noticed that "the charms of the French coup" not only to Ukraine, but also "to the depths of Siberia itself extended their influence on young minds." In Iasi, for example, at the headquarters of Prince Potemkin, officers began to issue a weekly leaflet, Vestnik Moldavii, which printed messages about the revolution in France. In Tobolsk, public school teachers published articles on the pages of the magazine they published. revolutionary themes: about human rights, about the National Assembly, about the constitution of 1791. Penza, Kremenchug, Semipalatinsk, Saratov were interested in news from France.
The French Revolution was at first accepted by Russian society with almost unanimous approval. The advanced noble circles, in particular, saw in the events in France the path to an "enlightened" monarchy, ardently advocated for the planting of "virtue", for the "equality of feelings" of people of all classes, for civic dignity, leaving aside questions of socio-economic transformations.
But the dawn of the revolution, flaring up in the West, gradually sobered the heads of the nobility. Reports of urban and peasant uprisings in France, of castles being burned down, resurrected a formidable specter in the memory of Russian landowners. Peasants' War under the leadership of Pugachev. In the events in France, they saw the implementation of those thoughts, which, according to Radishchev's vivid definition, they read "on the forehead of each of ... the peasants." One Vologda landowner noted that “all peasants have a spirit left over from Pugachev’s time - so that there are no nobles”, and added that this is the spirit of “beginninglessness and independence that has spread ... throughout Europe”. Echoes of the “great fear” also reached the Russian noble estates, where, in the words of the landowner A. Karamyshev, they shuddered, looking “as the old world gets to know the new”. Mason I.V. Lopukhin wrote in this regard that he would willingly give up all his peasants, if only “that spirit of false love of freedom that crushes many countries in Europe would never penetrate into our fatherland”.
The development of events in France increased the fears of representatives privileged class. The victories of the revolutionary armies on the battlefields, the overthrow of the monarchy and the execution of the king, the establishment of the Jacobin dictatorship left no more room for noble illusions. The abyss separating the “old” from the “new” became more and more obvious, the path to which inevitably went through the revolution. The approaching crisis of the feudal-serf ideology, even in its “enlightened” form, drove its bearers to despair. “The Age of Enlightenment! I don't recognize you - in blood and flames I don't recognize you - in the midst of murder and destruction I don't recognize you!" . In these words, Karamzin expressed to some extent the feelings and thoughts of a large number of nobles.
The government of Catherine II embarked on the path of open reaction. Radishchev was exiled to Siberia, Knyazhnin was thrown into prison, where he apparently died in 1790. At the beginning of 1792, Novikov was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress for a period of 15 years. In the name of protecting “civilization” and “order,” free-thinking people were imprisoned and censorship was rampant. In her messages to the European monarchs, Catherine urged them to fast campaign "against the" Jacobin barbarism ". To suppress “French anarchy,” she wrote, “means to acquire immortal glory for yourself.”
The revolutionary events in France were perceived differently by the progressive democratic circles of the Russian intelligentsia, which in their aspirations reflected the interests and needs of the working strata of the population. In the fire of the revolution in France, the very feudal foundations against which the Russian peasantry, and opposed by the best people Russia. The French Revolution, as it were, confirmed in practice the vitality of Radishchev's ideas; it contributed to the formation of a revolutionary ideology in Russia, which developed as a protest against Russian autocratic-feudal reality.
The cases of the Secret Expedition, which preserved the protocols of interrogations, the testimony of witnesses, reveal the environment in which Russian revolutionary thought matured. In St. Petersburg, for example, people of various professions gathered at the house of a bankrupt merchant, Stepan Yerkov, including a retired land surveyor Fyodor Krechetov, who spoke of the need to overthrow “the power of the autocracy, to make either a republic, or in some other way, in order to be equal to everyone.” In St. Petersburg, in the circle of small collegiate clerks, there was talk that “the Russians are under the heavy yoke of autocratic tyranny” and that “it would be very good if the National Convention thought of a way to rid France of such an enemy (like Catherine II. - author), and Russian people from tyranny” . In Ukraine, a petty official from the impoverished nobles, Stepan Poznansky, asked those around him: “what do we need crowned heads for, what do we need magnates for?” and free." These demands and hopes speak of the revolutionary conclusions reached by the Russian progressive people in the days of their highest upsurge. french revolution. The origins of the revolutionary-democratic trend, which was determined in the Russian liberation movement in the 19th century, were outlined.

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Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was born on August 20 (31), 1749 in Moscow in noble family. The childhood of the future writer passed in the village of Nemtsovo, then his family moved to the village of Verkhnee Ablyazovo. Elementary education Alexander Nikolaevich received houses. In 1756, his father took Radishchev to Moscow. The boy was placed with A. Argamakov, who at that time served as the director of Moscow University. Radishchev was trained there by a specially hired French tutor.

In 1762, Alexander Nikolaevich was granted a page and sent to the St. Petersburg Page Corps. In 1766, by order of Catherine II, he was sent to Germany, where he entered the Leipzig University at the Faculty of Law. During this period of his short biography, Radishchev became interested in the works of Voltaire, Rousseau, Helvetius, Reynal.

Career and the beginning of literary activity

In 1771 Alexander Nikolaevich returned to Petersburg. Having received the title of adviser, he got a job as a secretary in the Senate. In the same year, an excerpt from the book Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow was published anonymously for the first time in the magazine "The Painter".

Since 1773, Radishchev entered the military service as chief auditor at the headquarters of the Finnish division. The writer publishes a translation of Mably's book, finishes the works "Officer Exercises" and "Diary of a Week".

In 1775, Alexander Nikolaevich retired.

In 1777, Radishchev entered the service of the College of Commerce, which was led by Count A. Vorontsov. Since 1780, Alexander Nikolaevich has been working in the St. Petersburg customs, ten years later he becomes its head. In 1783, the writer created the ode "Liberty", in 1788 - the work "The Life of F.V. Ushakov."

Link to Siberia

In 1790, Radishchev completed work on his most important work - "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" and printed it in his home printing house. In the book, the writer boldly talked about the serf system in Russia. This provoked a sharp protest from the empress. Alexander Nikolayevich was arrested and sentenced to death, but it was replaced by ten years of exile in the Siberian jail Ilimsk.

While in Siberia, Radishchev, whose biography was inextricably linked with writing, studied the traditions of the region, created the “Letter on Chinese Bargaining”, “On a Man, on His Mortality and Immortality”, “Abridged Narrative of the Acquisition of Siberia”, etc.

Life after exile

In 1796, Emperor Paul I returned Radishchev from exile. The date of May 31, 1801 marked the complete release of the writer - Alexander I issued a decree on amnesty, returned to him title of nobility. Radishchev was summoned to St. Petersburg and appointed a member of the Law Drafting Commission. In one of the projects, Alexander Nikolayevich proposed to destroy serfdom, however, he was threatened with a new exile to Siberia. This was a serious shock for the sick and morally broken writer.

On September 12 (24), 1802, Alexander Nikolayevich Radishchev committed suicide by taking poison. The grave of the writer has not been preserved; it is assumed that he was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Chronological table

Other biography options

• The serfs taught little Radishchev to read and write. Since childhood, he learned about the hardships of peasant life, which revived in the writer's soul hatred for the landowners, pity for the people.
• Alexander Nikolaevich was married twice. The first wife, Anna Rubanovskaya, died in childbirth, they had four children in total. The second wife of the writer was younger sister Anna Elizaveta Rubanovskaya, they had three children.
• According to some reports, Radishchev died of a serious illness that struck the writer during his exile.
• Creativity Radishchev had a significant impact on Russian politics, including the Decembrist movement. A. Lunacharsky spoke of the writer as a prophet and forerunner of the revolution.
• At school, Radishchev's works are studied in the eighth and ninth grades.