Conservative theological

Recently, the diaries of the famous Russian historian Mikhail Mikhailovich the Theologian were completely published [1] . A large introductory article for this publication was written by Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, which allows me to limit myself to the role of an interested reader.

Mikhail Mikhailovich The Theological (1867–1929) was a specialist in the 18th century, and above all in the history of Peter I. And although his five -volume “Peter I: Materials for the Biography” ends 1700 (the scientist called these surveys “Petria” and considered the main work of his life), this work is already considered the best set of data on the Petrovskaya era.

M. M. The Theological Golden Medalist graduated from the famous Moscow fifth gymnasium, which allowed him to enter without exams to Moscow University. His further academic life was invariably “ascending”: he was left to prepare for a professor’s rank, defended his master's, then a doctoral dissertation, became a professor, “inherited” the Klyuchevsky department at Moscow University, actively participated in scientific societies, worked a lot, stubbornly and in any circumstances.

The systematic diary records of the Theological begin in 1915, and only a few pages are dedicated to 1919, 1918 is absent. Thus, the main body of the records falls on 1915-1917 - the time is not only restless, but also painful in all respects. The Theological sees his important task to write daily : the diary is his support and at the same time the source of self -discipline: the author is proud that, despite the cold and hunger, for 1916 he did not miss a single day.

In the form of the Theological, I am most occupied by the type of Russian professor-a Muscovite with a “special imprint”, which I still found when I was a student of the Filfak of Moscow State University in the late 40s-early 1950s (for example, the “ancient man” V.F. Rzhiga mentioned by the Theological). I mean a combination of independent mind and unconditional duty, clear moral norms and traditional religiosity.

To say that the Theological was a man of conservative views - would mean limiting himself to a stamp, which has now completely lost the certainty of the content. Universities educated citizens with the names of the Epiphany, Vvedensky, Reformed, Pokrovsky, Vozdvizhensky, Voznesensky in the times described in the diaries were mostly religious, hardworking, law-abiding and conservative in political terms: these are doctors, lawyers, jury, teachers of the best gymnasiums, privat-presents and lecturers of higher educational establishments, academies and higher women's courses.

The foregoing does not mean that these people - the Theologian, including - did not notice the inferiority of the Russian political structure and the steady collapse of Russian state institutions, especially dramatically exposed in the conditions of the war. However, from here neither political activity flowed from here as such, nor even a clear political position. The war itself was terrible-at first the Russo-Japanese, then the war of 1914: our defeats, a demoralized army, refugees, hunger, collapse of any order ...

In addition to the university, the Theological taught at the Moscow Theological Academy, which means that in any weather he traveled by train to the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra, and was often forced to walk to the station because the trams were crowded, or even did not go at all. He also read at the highest female courses and, judging by the attendance of his lectures, was very appreciated there. So the everyday life of the Theological is a life subordinate to civilian duty: whether the war, riots, a change of government, chaos - he had to carry out himself as a historian, as a mentor of youth and as the head of the family. Generally speaking, mature, responsible people do so: after all, "times do not choose." In this perspective and at that time, the life of the theological and, say, the Sokolov brothers ( http://polit.ru/article/2012/02/16/sokolov_brothers ) - people of a different temperament and completely different views - were more likely in the privileges than in the main aspirations.

At all times, few are busy with politics; The Theological wrote out newspapers, but from some point they finally lagged behind the events. It is all the more curious to read how an ordinary Moscow apartment (lived the Theological in the Prechista part) suddenly turns into a poorly protected shelter, because it is already impossible to leave the gate around. In a similar situation, the cliches of the type “ He/it greeted the revolution ” are immediately made by a dummy: what, in fact, could be welcomed by the fall of 1917?

The Diary of The Theological is also interesting because it encourages the flat ideas about the very type of conservative in his Russian version. The conservative of the Theological, in particular, was a supporter as a more free system of raising children. And although he himself did not resign as a result of the famous circular of the Minister of Casso in 1911 [2] , he later treated equal respect to both departed and the remaining. As you can see, the ideas that are familiar to us from schools about the certainty of the political positions of the educated people of this generation (approximately the same age as Ulyanov-Lenin) are very far from reality.

M. M. Theological died in 1929 from an attack of angina pectoris, having survived in 1925 the death of his only teenage son. Alas, the Theologian left this world “in time”: the OGPU chose him for the role of the head of the Moscow participants of the “monarchical conspiracy” fabricated by him ...

1. Theological M.M. Diaries (1913–1919): From the collection of the State Historical Museum. M.: Time, 2011. 800 p., Ill.

On January 11 , 1911, the Circular of the Minister of Public Education L.A. Casso, which prescribed the inadmissibility of "public and private student meetings, with the exception of scientific collections." If, contrary to the efforts of the administration, the gathering was nevertheless gathering, the renovation was charged with immediately call the police. In response to these circulars on January 28, 2011, at an emergency meeting of the Council of Moscow University, the rector Manuelov presented a report to members of the Council about the situation under the university and said that under such conditions he did not see the opportunity to bear the duties of the rector and submits a petition for a resignation. Similar statements were made by the assistant rector Mikhail Menzbir and vice -rector Peter Minakov, and the University Council admitted that, in the situation, the election administration could not bear the duties assigned to it. For more information, see the article by Y. Leontiev “Today life at Moscow University has froze ...” www.polit.ru/article/2011/02/24/msu