«Historical Letters about the Relations of the Russian Nation to its Tribesmen» by V.I. Lamansky: the contexts of the third letter (to the publication of «Historical Letters about the Relations of the Russian Nation to its Tribesmen» by V.I. Lamansky)

Abstract

The article serves as the introduction into the publication of the third “Historical letter” by V.I. Lamansky. The authors show the history of writing the third letter. Attention is drawn to the features of the published text. The authors point out that the third “Historical Letter” is characterized by an emphasis on the search for psychological differences between the Slavs and the Germans. An assessment of Lamansky's Panslavism is also given. It is highlighted that the time of writing “Historical letters” refers to the period when Lamansky was fascinated by romantic historiosophy, which led to his idealized perception of the Slavs. The authors note that although Lamansky never completely overcame his panslavic views, in many respects in the mature period of his work he considered Slavic culture more realistically, in many respects responding to the romanticized panslavism. The authors emphasize that Lamansky's early work was influenced by his political views. However, the presented text does not belong to the scientific heritage of Lamansky, but is a vivid example of late Slavophil journalism permeated with romantic idealism and historiosophy. The authors point out that Lamansky's views on the national question are in line with the general European culture of the 19th century; and Lamansky’s political views were associated with political situations in his time.