Decembrist N.I. Turgenev on the foundations of reforming Russia

Abstract. In the history of Russian Decembrist studies, two distinct lines of research stand out: the armed uprising of December 14, 1825, and the Decembrist plans (projects) for reforming Russia. The purpose of this article is to elucidate the historical context and ideological foundations of the project conceived by N.I. Turgenev, ideologist of the Northern Society. Its historical foundation lay in the Decembrist’s generally positive assessment of the country’s modernization course, defined by the reforms of Peter the Great. The author examines the content of this new stage of reforms in the context of the concept of the “spirit of the times”, developed in European political thought and based on the requirement to realize the principle of freedom through liberal reforms in the economic, political, and social spheres. N.I. Turgenev’s contribution lies in his attempt to reveal and substantiate the necessity and inevitability of this course in Russia, define its strategic direction, formulate principles of interaction between government officials and society at this stage of development, and forecast the inevitability of changes in Russia’s public administration system.

Keywords: Decembrists, “the spirit of the times”, transformation of the country, autocracy, society, liberation of the peasants, reform projects.