The Facets of the Russian Schism: The Secret Role of the Old Believers from the 17th Century to 1917
14.99 €
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The Facets of the Russian Schism: The Secret Role of the Old Believers from the 17th Century to 1917
14.99 €
The book "Facets of the Russian Schism" offers a new research perspective on the events of 17th-century Russian history, one that completely breaks with the dominant historiographical tradition. Schism is a well-studied phenomenon in Russian history, but official scholarship offers little insight into the popular reality, attributing only 2% of the empire's population to Old Believers.
However, in the 17th century, Russian society was split into two irreconcilable camps: adherents of the Old Rite and followers of Patriarch Nikon's reforms. Russia was divided within itself: on the geographical map, the country appeared united, but in reality, two societies emerged, whose religious cleavages acquired different social and cultural identities. This situation affected all aspects of Russian life: social, cultural, and economic.
Alexander Pyzhikov, author of "Facets of the Russian Schism," took on the difficult task of dragging the Old Believers out of their religious closet and demonstrating that they were not a marginal phenomenon. The Old Believers rejected the state-imposed monotheism, the new vertical power structure, and the "going to the people" of the Russian intelligentsia. Finding themselves on the periphery of the administrative and economic system, the majority of the population organized their existence on entirely different principles than their rulers. The spread of the liberal spirit and the political preferences of the large merchant class led them to ally with the new powers. And the economic initiatives of the Old Believers determined the dynamics of merchant-peasant capitalism.
The purpose of the book is to demonstrate the influence that the religious schism had on the course of Russian history after the 17th century and to imbue the study of the Old Believers with new meaning.
However, in the 17th century, Russian society was split into two irreconcilable camps: adherents of the Old Rite and followers of Patriarch Nikon's reforms. Russia was divided within itself: on the geographical map, the country appeared united, but in reality, two societies emerged, whose religious cleavages acquired different social and cultural identities. This situation affected all aspects of Russian life: social, cultural, and economic.
Alexander Pyzhikov, author of "Facets of the Russian Schism," took on the difficult task of dragging the Old Believers out of their religious closet and demonstrating that they were not a marginal phenomenon. The Old Believers rejected the state-imposed monotheism, the new vertical power structure, and the "going to the people" of the Russian intelligentsia. Finding themselves on the periphery of the administrative and economic system, the majority of the population organized their existence on entirely different principles than their rulers. The spread of the liberal spirit and the political preferences of the large merchant class led them to ally with the new powers. And the economic initiatives of the Old Believers determined the dynamics of merchant-peasant capitalism.
The purpose of the book is to demonstrate the influence that the religious schism had on the course of Russian history after the 17th century and to imbue the study of the Old Believers with new meaning.
See also:
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