P.N. MILYUKOV'S LIBERAL ASSESSMENT OF THE SYNOD REFORM OF PETER I: A DEBATE WITH SLAVOPHILISM
The main trends in the characterization of the synodal period in the national science are considered. The liberal estimation of the synodal reform by the historian and politician P.N. Milyukov is analyzed. The special attention is paid to his controversy with slavianophils' attitude towards the synodal reform. In light of this controversy the liberal view of the Russia's historical road is estimated. The problem of Peter the Great's influence over the natural course of the synodal reform, treated by P.N. Milyukov and A.S. Khomyakov, is overviewed. One of the key questions in this debate is the Church-State relationship during the synodal period.