Romantic Roots of Modern Russian Eurasian Thought

Abstract

The study of modern Russian Eurasian thought has already become a prominent trend in Russian and Chinese scientific circles. The article traces the ideological history of Eurasianism, highlights the main directions of thought on which it re­lies. The direct source of the current Eurasianism is classical Eurasianism, which was formed among the Russian emigration in the 1920s–1930s. We should not forget about two intermediate links in this chain of succession: on the one hand, the teachings of Lev N. Gumilyov, on the other hand, the concepts of the Slavophiles. If we look at it from the point of view of the history of Western thought, we will find that the origins of Eurasianism go back to the German ro­manticism of the late eighteenth century. Between the then German romanticism and modern Russian Eurasian thought, there is a clear ideological connection, a common spiritual orientation, which lies in the consciousness of uniqueness. Possessing the Russian national spirit, which is controlled by the consciousness of uniqueness, Russia, in the understanding of the representatives of this tradi­tion of thought, is an independent and integral civilizational space, different from Europe and Asia, therefore Russia must follow a unique historical path.