History has always been involved in politics, state ideology, and propaganda. In recent years, Russian scientists declared war on the falsification of history, as the intended corruption of history became a usual thing.
Due to these and other reasons 2012 was made the Year of Russian History. Sergei Naryshkin, Russian statesman, chairman of the State Duma of the 6th convocation, “this year is full of important dates: the 1150th anniversary of the birth of Russian statehood, the 400th anniversary of the liberation of Moscow, the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino. All these dates are milestones of the Russian nation, determining its political, spiritual and civilizational development. The very memory of the victory of the people, of the trials that fell to their lot, is a good basis for the unification of the nation. The dates mentioned and many other dates became the reason for a large number of cultural projects and new research and publishing projects. Overall, the Year of Russian History has already brought tangible results to the public. I mean, among others, the decision on the establishment of the Russian Historical Society, which aims to continue the tradition of the Imperial Russian Historical Society. By the way, yesterday I went to the museum - the recently-opened, new, wonderful Museum of the History of the Patriotic War of 1812 on behalf of the Russian Historical Society and handed to the funds of the museum two interesting documents, two letters by Napoleon Bonaparte, written in 1812, just at the height of the campaign, in the days when the Battle of Smolensk took place, and a second letter to the Minister of War of France, dated March 6th 1813. I think that attention to our history should not subside after this milestone year: it is one of the objectives of the Year of Russian History - never to forget its lessons and to understand their lasting significance. The same goes for the latest period of Russian history, for next year is the 20th anniversary of our Constitution and a modern parliament. This anniversary will surely draw the attention of society to such sections of our history as the history of the development of democracy, civil institutions, institutions of democracy. Why do I think these dates are so important to us today? Not only because I am the Speaker of the State Duma. Now, when some forces are trying to exploit the contradictions in society, it is critical to know the deeply complicated history of our state, including, by the way, the events of the last 20 years memorable for the present generation.
The term "rule of law" in the Constitution was of great importance for our country, in part because in the history of Russia you can find many examples of the law being neglected . After rapid development of Russian legal practice in the 19th century, marked by the appearance of an entire galaxy of brilliant lawyers, after a while there were, in fact, “the dark ages”. Suffice it to recall what was said by Leon Trotsky in 1914 and repeated during the Civil War, and I quote: "Now, in fact, the working class learns to despise this legality, that is, bourgeois legality, and to destroy it forcibly." The first decrees of the Soviet government, expecting that the so-called bourgeois law would have to die, often used the concept of "revolutionary consciousness" and put it above, and I quote, "the laws of dethroned governments.” Courts passing criminal convictions were sometimes guided by such a source of law as a "socialist conscience." And even in more recent times, the role of law was often played by by-laws, and the CEC and the Council of People's Commissars directly made amendments to legislation and even codes by their decisions.
I must admit that in the post-war Soviet era domestic law took a significant step forward - both in terms of legal technique and the general harmony of legislation. However, being, in fact, under a state ideology, a great part of the correct legal position remained just declarations. Our history, including the 20-year path of modern Russia, convinces us that only the rule of law ensures effective development and a decent future. The modern Parliament is responsible for it; it simply must improve the quality of its work to meet the increasing expectations of society. And for this purpose, of course, we must use our own historical experience.”
It appeared that secular history is interesting for the Orthodox Church. Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia Kirill said: “Any construction is started from a project, and before a project there is a vision of what one want to build, an image. Sometimes it is at the level of fantasy, sometimes – a dream; but any project is born from the fantasy and the dream, the image which appears intuitionally. Construction of the future requires this vision. I think one of the problems of our social life is absence of this future. People are willingly expressing their dissatisfaction with the present, but it is difficult for them to define what they to see in the future and what country to build. Of course, many professional communities have certain aims and targets – to build roads, to construct cities, to improve the level of agricultural production or to develop the economy. However, the point is not in separate segments and not in an external settlement of the country’s life. The point is in the vision of the country which we want and should build.
Understanding of where we should go takes origin from knowledge of where we have come. Only in this case the path of a person or a nation gains a chance to be like a vector, but not like a broken curve. In other words, the dignified future can be established only on a firm historic foundation. History is not only a science about the past, but it is something more important, as without historic knowledge, without realization of historic foundations the building cannot be erected. Efforts to destroy everything, including the tradition, and then build a new world on these wrecks don’t lead to anything good and cause a spiritual tragedy of a nation. The example is Russian history of the 20th century.
That is why it is import to pay attention to history of Russian statehood. The foundation of any social structure is a system of views, philosophy which determines a person’s place in the world, defines his relations with infinity, his duties toward other people. The fundament of the European civilization, including Russia, relies on two milestones: the Greco-Roman tradition of philosophic understanding of the world and the Bible Revelation. The synthesis of these ideas can be found in works of Epichristian writers who lived in the 1st century; some of them continued the tradition in the Middle Ages. These writers, called Holy Fathers, expressed it in a synthesis, called Holy-Father Synthesis. The synthesis combined ancient knowledge, ancient science, and theological knowledge based on God Revelation. This synthesis was supported by the educational system of the Roman Empire in both of its parts – the Western and the Eastern. The Orthodox religion and its science and knowledge included Russia into the cultural tradition of the Eastern Roman Empire. Being successors of Byzantium, we tried to preserve our Slavic uniqueness for centuries. The civilization which was found by Kirill and Mephody continues to combine European intellectual and cultural heritage with Orthodox spirit and Slavic understanding of the world.
At the same time, when we hear about the European way of development, in most cases it means copying and reproduction of the Western political cultural models. A copy is always worse than an original. The power institute appeared in the world, in the society which was inclined to sins for preservation of this society, for making people live together, for various interests wouldn’t destroy consolidated labor in favor of the common good. That is why clear and certain support of the state power institute by the Church doesn’t mean appraisals which belong to any member of the church. We should realize that the power institute is a foundation for social prosperity. If 95% of the population votes for murder of the rest 5% according to legal democratic procedures, it will be illegalness anyway as the law forbids murder and it was stated not by a state or humanity, and none of national, international or human institutes can cancel it.
The task of the state, relying on the moral law of God, is to interpret it according to the space, time, and culture. The moral basis should improve in lives of people and the society through legislation. The vision of a state as an institute settled by God, protecting the supreme truth and justice is deep in consciousness of our peoples. The outstanding philosopher, political scientists, Alexander Panarin, wrote that the identity of the Russian peoples was consolidated through the Orthodox ideal of the Sacred Realm based on the supreme truth and service to the faith.
Unfortunately, today we face absolutely different approaches to the law. Today the law often proclaims a total human autonomy, unrestricted outrage in stating the norms which are thought to be comfortable by the current legislators. Abortions, euthanasia of the old and the sick who, according to some modern viewers, should die for not using social resources, efforts to reconsider the institute of marriage – all these things reflect a deep shift in perception of the world and a person, a shift which is thought to be destructive and dangerous by the Christians. Anything can be destroyed and then rebuild, but if the moral law given by God is destroyed, if it vanishes from social relations, people lose an ability to organize societies, any societies – a family, a labor collective or a state. Considering relations between the church and the state, I would like to separate church ideals and reality which reflects the current situation in Russia. Russia is one of the most secularized European countries. Things which are natural for other European countries (theological departments in universities, chaplains in army, off-days on big religious holidays, teaching religion in schools, and so on) are coming to our life with great difficulties and with indignation of those who imagine a secular state as an atheistic state excluding religion’s presence in social processes. We hope the time of atheistic dictatorship has gone. Presence of the Church in the social sphere is an absolutely natural phenomenon. The Church and a state are different institutes. The Church is a willingly community which communicated with its members through sermons and expect their willingly obedience. A state includes all residents of the country; it has power to make people follow the law, including using force. The Church doesn’t strive for the state power and doesn’t want fulfill state functions. Moreover, it doesn’t intend to have a state status which is typical for most European countries. Demands of separation the Church from the state mean knocking at the open door. Often these demands mean efforts to make the Church refuse from its responsibility for its members, the Orthodox people, from their civil rights and duties. Members of the Church are citizens of the state and of the society. They rely on Christian conscience during fulfillment of their civil duties. It concerns both common citizens and officials. At the same time, the Orthodox citizens are aimed at cooperation with people of other religions and views in favor of peace and justice. In this sense Russia is one of the most progressive countries of the world, as the tradition of inter-religious peace is supported not only by religious leaders, but by the majority of the faithful. The Church doesn’t establish state bodies and doesn’t develop state laws. It composes people souls. It states inalterability of the moral law on which a justice society and state can be build. It confirms the realm of the spirit. Berdyayev wrote “the Church cannot fit into the Caesar Realm completely, as it is never-ending and strives for infinity.”
