Maul V.Ya. The “Chigirin conspiracy” of 1877: a view from the West (experience of historiographical criticism)

The theme of the article is really relevant as there are almost no  special publications that provide a historiographical analysis of the degree of study of the history of the “Chigirin conspiracy” of 1877 in foreign historical science. The object of the study is a set of works by foreign scientists considering on the topic of the “Chigirin conspiracy” or just touching it. The subject of the study is the specifics of the scientific views of Western historians on this issue. The article uses a comparative historical research method. Based on a comparative analysis of the scientific works of Western Russian historians, the article analyzes their views and assessments of the “Chigirin conspiracy”. Historiographical sources for study are monographs by historians D. Beauvois, F. Venturi, K. Ingerflom, M. Malia, A. Thun, A. Ulam, D. Field, J. Hosking and other authors. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time in historiography, the specificity of Western ideas about a well-known event in the history of the Russian liberation movement of the 1870s is revealed. The article shows that Western Russian historians adhere to various cognitive approaches and make factual mistakes when studying the causes, course and consequences of the “Chigirin conspiracy”. As a result, it is concluded that the most valuable works  for understanding the history of the “Chigirinsky conspiracy” and revolutionary populism in Russia are the works and views of D. Field, which can be considered the best example of Western historiography.
Key words: Western historiography, “Chigirin conspiracy”, populist revolutionaries, imaginary royal letters, imposture, “Secret squad”.
ГИЦР-2023-№2-ИТОГ-9-15-24

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Citation link: Maul V.Ya. The "Chigirin conspiracy" of 1877: a view from the West (experience of historiographical criticism) // Humanities researches of the Central Russia. – 2023. – №2 (27). – P. 14-23.
DOI: 10.24412/2541-9056-2023-227-14-23

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