The writer Alexander Herzen is attributed to the phrase: “The state is located in Russia as the occupation army. We do not feel the state part of ourselves, part of society. The state and society are waging war. The state is punitive, and the society of the partisan". We checked whether Herzen really wrote this.
The phrase on the occupational character of the Russian state, supposedly belonging to Herzen, can be found in Media, social networks, Blogs And quotes. Historian and writer Evgeny Ponasenkov He published this quote indicating Herzen's authorship in his book “The First Scientific History of the War of 1812”, and later in the account in the account in social networks x. Journalist Viktor Shenderovich quoted Herzen's words about the state at least eight times in an interview with radio "Echo of Moscow","Radio Liberty" The Business Courier and other publications (in 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018 And 2021 years). Journalists cited the same quote Mikhail Shevelev, Maxim Shevchenko, correspondent "Radio Liberty" Yuri Vachnadze Both economist and publicist Irina Yasinawho, however, suggested that the author of the statement was Saltykov-Shchedrin.
In Academic Collected works Alexander Herzen in 30 volumes, published in 1954-1966, could not find a quote. About 18,000 pages, including artistic works, journalism, essays and writer letters, the word “occupation” in various forms is found several dozen times. But not one of the proposals containing it is mentioned by the Russian state or power.
In 2015, the former editor -in -chief of the Novgorod Vedomosti publication Gennady Ryavkin in his article with the heading "Read Herzen»Wrote:
“I have a rare publication of Herzen's articles in his imported“ bell ”, published in London. This is a very interesting reading. Alexander Ivanovich wrote expressively and knead the words densely.
I won’t seize big fragments. The phrases themselves say: "The state is located in Russia as the occupation army. We do not feel the state part of itself, part of society. The state and society are waging a war. The state is punitive, and society is partisan ...
The people cannot be freed more than they are free from the inside ... Socialism will develop in all their phases to extreme consequences, to absurdities. Then the scream of denial will again break out of the titanic chest of the revolutionary minority, and the mortal struggle will begin again, in which socialism will take the place of the current conservatism and will be defeated by the coming, unknown to us by the revolution. ”
"Bell"He was the first Russian revolutionary newspaper, which Herzen and his friend and associate Nikolai Ogars were published in London from 1857 to 1867. About the launch of the new magazine Herzen announced April 13, 1857: “The Bell”, dedicated exclusively to Russian issues, will call, no matter what it is affected - by an absurd decree or stupid race of schismatics, theft of dignitaries or the ignorance of the Senate. Funny and criminal, malicious and ignorant - everything goes under the "bell". "
The passage, which is allegedly taken from Herzen's articles in the London magazine, consists of three parts: about the state, about the people and socialism. The last two are taken from two different works. A quote about the people (which in the original sounds as “you cannot free people in outer life more than they are released inside”) borrowed from letters ""To the old friend"Written by Herzen shortly before his death. Passage about socialism - from the chapter “Epilogue 1849"The book" From that shore ", in which the writer talks about his disappointment in the revolutionary movement in Europe in 1848. And the phrase about the state could not be found either in the “bell” or in other articles, books and letters of Herzen.
In 2013, two years before the release of the note at the Novgorod Vedomosti, on the website "70-year-old Babylonian captures" was released publication “Prophecy of Alexander Ivanovich Herzen”, which included a phrase about the state and society.
“Verified” found an even earlier mention of a similar quote, also attributed to Herzen. In 1998, in the journal Syntax, which was published in Paris in 1978-2001, was printed note Journalists of Moscow News Ekaterina Karsanova. In this article about Defolt 1998, entitled “in the occupied territory”, the author supposedly quotes Herzen, albeit in a slightly different form: “Herzen said:“ The power was located in Russia as an occupation army in a captured country. ” Nevertheless, the search and this phrase in the published works of Herzen also did not give any results.
Thus, in the most complete works of Herzen there is no phrase on the occupational character of the Russian state. Perhaps the unknown author mistakenly attributed these words to the writer, and Internet users replicated a quote with incorrect attribution.
Photo on the cover: gertsen.lit-info.ru
- "Kommersant". "This magazine was created for exile"
- Arzamas. Russian writer in the West
- "Radio Liberty." Herzen and Ogarov woke America
- Did Saltykov-Shchedrin say that the Russians are choosing the most mean leader, dumping their guilt on him, and then proclaimed to the saints?
- Is it true that Mikhail Bulgakov called the Russians “the wild horde of murderers and villains”?
If you find a spelling or grammatical error, please inform us of this, highlighting the text with an error and by pressing Ctrl+Enter.
