God's history": M. P. Pogodin on the identity of Russia
The article is devoted to the creative heritage of the famous Russian historian, academician, publicist and public figure Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin. A graduate of Moscow University, he taught courses in General and Russian history, which were very popular among students. Pogodin's scientific legacy is still perceived ambiguously. Being an ardent supporter and ideological conductor of the theory of "official nationality", Pogodin did not always find understanding in the circle of Russian historians. Pogodin's idol was N. M. Karamzin, the author of the famous work "History of the Russian state". He dedicated a lot of warm words to him, but not everything in Karamzin's work suited Pogodin. So, he criticized Karamzin for not being able to bring his ideas and views into a certain system. Pogodin intended to fill this gap and tried to create a systematic work on Russian history. However, as shown in the article, Pogodin failed to fully implement his idea. The inconsistency of Pogodin's views is already visible in his first work - "Historical aphorisms". While trying to explain all the historical events taking place in the world by the idea of regularities of social development, Pogodin pays special attention to the identity of Russia and Russian history. Pogodin is close to the Slavophiles in his views. He warns against blind copying the experience of Western Europe. Pogodin shows the origins of the identity of Russia, Dating back to the ancient periods of the history of the Eastern Slavs. The "dissimilarity" of Russia with Europe, according to Pogodin, is manifested not only in physical, but also in moral differences. Pogodin paid great attention to the moral education of students, the formation of their critical thinking. Despite the fact that more than 150 years have passed since the death of the historian, his works, writings, and views still attract the attention of domestic researchers.