Chapter 6 - Conversations with Western Ideas II

Summary

Chapter 6 considers the work of two positivist liberals, Pavel Miliukov and Maksim Kovalevskii, with particular reference to the constituent liberal idea of progress. The chapter argues that the idea of progress played a seminal role in their understanding of the significance of liberalism for Russia, and that this is the source of both important strengths and deep tensions within their careers as liberal politicians. More specifically, the chapter analyses to what extent their political activities and writings relied on a deterministic view of history, and how they sought to reconcile their positivist beliefs with the claims of flesh-and-blood individuals. While these men deserve a place in Russia’s liberal pantheon, the elements of their thought that support a teleological view of history as progressing upwards towards a perfect society sit in tension with non-dogmatic, pluralistic forms of liberalism.