The Russian revolt in the context of psychohistory
Abstract
The article examines the phenomenon of the Russian rebellion (bunt) through the prism of psychohistory as a multidimensional, interdisciplinary method for modeling historical processes. The author deconstructs traditional historiographical narratives, defining the rebellion as an extreme manifestation of protest by subcultural actors, situationally recruited from various social strata and united by a destructive urge to violently disrupt the established order. Special attention is paid to the complex legitimation of the subjunctive mood as a highly productive and essential tool for a truly deep analysis of the historical process. Drawing on the concepts of M.M. Bakhtin, N.A. Berdyaev, and A. Camus, the study reveals a complex dualism of binary oppositions within the Russian rebellion, combining carnivalesque masquerade with an irrational, destructive element (“dark wine”). A crucial element of the analysis is the distinction between the European concept of freedom, which is oriented toward creating a civic space, and the specific phenomenon of Russian volya, which paradoxically combines the rejection of authority with a disregard for individual rights. A detailed and comprehensive psychohistorical parallel is drawn between Stepan Razin and Protopope Avvakum as two polar yet inherently holistic psychotypes of national culture. The study expands the horizons of modern humanities by applying structural psychological modeling. The author demonstrates that the rebellion is inherently archaic, non-synergetic, and resistant to modernization, whereas its heroization in Soviet ideology distorted the overall perception of the Russian world. In the context of contemporary challenges and “post-industrial feudalism”, the paper analyzes the catastrophic risks of a technologically equipped rebellion escalating into a global apocalypse and concludes that such a scenario must be prevented.
