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Defining Russian Liberalism
- 19th-century Russian liberalism is difficult to define.
- It's often defined by what it's not: reactionary or radical.
Russian vs. Western Liberalism
- Russian liberalism differed from Western liberalism in its view of state power.
- Russian liberals saw the state as necessary for reform, unlike Western liberals who wanted to limit state intrusion.
Speransky's Liberalism
- Mikhail Speransky, an advisor to Tsar Alexander I, is considered the "father of Russian liberalism."
- However, his liberalism was closer to a national, participatory autocracy inspired by Bonapartism.