Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow
Encyclopedia
The Journey From St. Petersburg to Moscow
(in Russian: Путешествие из Петербурга в Москву), published in 1790, was the most famous work by the Russian writer Aleksandr Nikolayevich Radishchev
.
The work, often described as a Russian Uncle Tom's Cabin
, is a polemical study of the problems in the Russia
of Catherine the Great
- serfdom
, the powers of the nobility
, the issues in government and governance, social structure and personal freedom and liberty
.
The book was immediately banned and Radishchev sentenced, first to death, then to banishment in eastern Siberia
. It was not freely published in Russia
until 1905.
In the book Radishchev takes an imaginary journey between Russia's two principal cities; each stop along the way reveals particular problems for the traveller through the medium of story telling.
The book itself represented a challenge to Catherine in Russia, despite the fact that Radishchev was no revolutionary - merely an observer of the ills he saw within Russian society and government at the time.
Published during the period of the French Revolution
, the book borrows ideas and principles from the great philosophers of the day relating to an enlightened outlook and the concept of Natural Law
.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(in Russian: Путешествие из Петербурга в Москву), published in 1790, was the most famous work by the Russian writer Aleksandr Nikolayevich Radishchev
Alexander Radishchev
Alexander Nikolayevich Radishchev was a Russian author and social critic who was arrested and exiled under Catherine the Great. He brought the tradition of radicalism in Russian literature to prominence with the publication in 1790 of his Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow...
.
The work, often described as a Russian Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
, is a polemical study of the problems in the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
of Catherine the Great
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
- serfdom
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
, the powers of the nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, the issues in government and governance, social structure and personal freedom and liberty
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
.
The book was immediately banned and Radishchev sentenced, first to death, then to banishment in eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. It was not freely published in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
until 1905.
In the book Radishchev takes an imaginary journey between Russia's two principal cities; each stop along the way reveals particular problems for the traveller through the medium of story telling.
The book itself represented a challenge to Catherine in Russia, despite the fact that Radishchev was no revolutionary - merely an observer of the ills he saw within Russian society and government at the time.
Published during the period of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the book borrows ideas and principles from the great philosophers of the day relating to an enlightened outlook and the concept of Natural Law
Natural law
Natural law, or the law of nature , is any system of law which is purportedly determined by nature, and thus universal. Classically, natural law refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature and deduce binding rules of moral behavior. Natural law is contrasted with the positive law Natural...
.