Russian Sectarianism as a Form of Religious Dissent in the Pre-Revolutionary Period
This article is devoted to the development of the most common religious movements study in pre-revolutionary Russia, called heresies or sects. The phenomenon of Russian sectarianism is not a random phenomenon; its roots go back to the past centuries. In this regard, the appeal to the origins of the Russian sectarianism will provide a new view on the studying phenomenon, constantly manifested in the country socio-political life through a number of centuries in various forms and modifications. The author analyzes the main religious dissent forms, expressed in various religious movements at different historical stages. On the basis of the national historiography study on this subject, the earliest forms of religious dissent known as national anti-Church or heretical movements were identified. The role of such events as the Church schism of the XVII century and the peasant reform of 1861, which affected the religious life of society is noted. The main socio-political trends and events that influenced religious sectarianism genesis and evolution at a certain historical stage are illustrated by the example of the most significant heretical and sectarian movements. As a result of the study, the factors that make it difficult to determine the specific historical stages of the religious sectarianism development in chronological order are identified. During the analysis at each manifestation stage of this or that religious dissent forms the corresponding characteristics distinguishing this form from the previous were allocated. Processes of sectarian movements transformation during the subsequent periods of development connected with social and political events of the Russian history are noted.