Between Barbarism and Progress: Enlightenment Historical Writings on a Major Conflict in Russian History
Journal: Changing Societies & Personalities
Year: 2020

The dichotomy of barbarism and progress has long been a focal point for the discussions about Russia’s past and present. The discourse on Russian barbarism had been known in Europe since at least 16th century, but Enlightenment thinkers gave it a new shape by juxtaposing the ancient conception of barbarism with the rather modern idea of progress. In this article, Enlightenment historical writings are examined; the focus is on the question of how Russian history was studied in order to find signs