The Russian Idea

Berdyaev Nikolai Alexandrovich (1874–1948) was a Russian outstanding religious philosopher who moved from Marxism to the philosophy of personality and freedom in the spirit of religious existentialism, exploring human life. In his work “The Russian Idea,” the philosopher investigates “Russianness,” the mysterious substance of the “Russian soul.” Berdyaev’s reflections cover historical events from the Baptism of Rus to the October Revolution, inseparably connected with the activity of Archpriest Avvakum, Peter I, Chaadaev, Dostoevsky, Solovyov, and Lenin. In the work “The Origins and Meaning of Russian Communism,” Berdyaev presents his own distinctive understanding of the ideological origins and the social conditioning of the Russian revolution, and its significance in Russia’s historical destiny.