The Emergence of Russian Liberalism Alexander Kunitsyn in Context, 1783-1840

by Berest, Julia

• ISBN13: 9780230111738
• ISBN10: 0230111734
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-05-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This study offers a fresh perspective on the history of Russian liberalism by looking at the life and work of Alexander Kunitsyn, a teacher and philosopher of natural law, whose academic and journalistic writings contributed to the dissemination of Western liberal thought among the Russian public. Placed into the broad intellectual and political context of its time, Kunitsyn's life illuminates the history of legal philosophy and early liberalism in Russiathe topics that remain little studied in Russian and Western scholarships. One of the chapters is devoted to the textual and historical analysis of the major works on legal philosophy published in early nineteenth century Russia, none of which has been examined before. A comparison with other thinkers highlights Kunitsyn's distinctly individualistic and liberal interpretation of the natural law theory. It also explains why the publication of his work triggered an official reaction against the teaching of natural law and philosophy in Russian universities.

Author Biography

Julia Berest received her PhD in History from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, where she is currently an Adjunct Professor of History.

Table of Contents

Formative Years * Years in the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum * Kunitsyn in the Son of Fatherland * Kunitsyn and Nicholas Turgenev: “The Society of the Year 1819” * Natural Law Tradition in Russia * Natural Law * In the Midst of Conservative Reaction * Epilogue * Conclusion