The Protest Movement of the “Razintes” as a Manifestation of the Ideological and Political Confrontation between the “Westernizers” and the “Samobytniki”

Abstract

In this article, the author applies the methodology of V. Klyuchevsky that states, that the division of Russian society into “Westerners” and “Slavophiles” (“Samobytniki”) was formed in the early 17th century. He made several reasonable conclusions while proving this particular point. Firstly, the main reason for the mass protest mood in the society that began in 1648 and poured out into the movement of the “Razinites” rebellion was the result of the emergence of the orientation of the highest secular and spiritual authorities to Europe and its methods of socio-economic policy. Second. It is precisely this orientation towards strict market relations coming from the West, with poor care for ordinary people’s lives. Thirdly, the orientation towards Europe weakened the position of Russian Orthodoxy favouring the new Greek form of Christian canons, where people had minimal trust in the Florentine Council and resulted in Byzantium’s deathIt was also because the Greeks in Russia were viewed as conductors of Western influence to destroy Russia as the last bastion of true faith. The next of the views, as mentioned earlier, was the unprecedented scope of the movement of the “Razinites”. It simply could not arise during the reign of such “original” (“samobytnik”) as Ivan IV the Terrible. On the contrary, at that time, the proto-Western sentiments were easily suppressed, which was, of course, clear to the people and, the policy itself had their support.