History as a science always has important weight in society. Interest in history should never fade away. The role of history is supported by scientists who give their strength to painstaking research work. These words also apply to the scientist Alexander Borisovich Kamensky.
Biography
The historian Kamensky Alexander Borisovich is a native Muscovite. Born in 1954. He received higher education at the Moscow Pedagogical Institute named after N.K. Krupskaya. The dissertation was dedicated to the Russian state apparatus of the eighteenth century. Subsequently, work began in the Central Archive. He taught at the Russian State University for the Humanities, then became the dean of the history department of the National Research University.
Favorite XVIII century
A.B. Kamensky wrote numerous monographs, articles, study guides. He was interested in the eighteenth century: the reforms of Peter I, Catherine II, questions of the life of citizens, archival work, etc. He was also worried about issues of modern life, for example, the issue of teaching history in higher educational institutions and the question of what a history textbook should be. In addition, his scientific interests included genealogy and biography.
Window to a new world
Everyone knows that the eighteenth century was a turning point for Russia. The author of the monograph "From Peter I to Paul I" took the legislation of the eighteenth century, letters of Peter the Great, the projects of Catherine II and other statesmen, including unrealized ones, some historical books published in the nineteenth century, etc.
Analyzing the period of the Petrine reforms, A. Kamensky is convinced that the reforms of Peter I met the internal needs of the Russian state at the end of the 17th century.
Another important issue that was touched upon in the work of A. Kamensky is whether the reforms of the following Russian rulers can be considered a continuation of the activities of previous reformers. Analyzing the reformist practice of the successors of Peter I, the historian answers this question in the affirmative.
So, in the first years after the death of Peter the Great, the process of transformation in the country did not stop. As a result of the reforms from Peter I to Paul I, society gained new experience, rich and useful.
Catherine II - one of the most successful Russian reformers
A. Kamensky, analyzing the life of the eighteenth century in his articles, dwells on the transformations of Catherine the Second. Historians evaluate its activities in different ways. And in society there is commonplace information about this queen: in her life there were many men.
Some historians claim that the reign of Catherine was the golden age of Russian history. True. Science is blooming. In the heyday, the work of writers, painters. Opera art is emerging. Russia at that time did not lose a single war and even annexed land.
In domestic politics, Catherine was committed to the ideas of the enlightenment. Arriving in Russia, Denis Didro taught her. She listened carefully, but did not try to do what he suggested. The empress said that his ideas were bookish, but in practice it was not so. The tsarina perfectly understood that it was necessary to know the mood of society and that it was necessary to prepare it for reforms gradually. She herself wrote legislative acts.
So, according to the historian A. Kamensky, Catherine the Great was one of the most successful reformers, because she was able to implement her program without major upheavals.
And the life of the townspeople is interesting
To describe the life of people living in the eighteenth century, A. Kamensky chose the city of Bezhetsk, which was located in the Tver province.
The historian describes not only the habitat of the inhabitants of this city, but also the criminal side of their lives, using judicial and police sources. He analyzes the life of a family of a city dweller, family ties, attitude towards neighbors and strangers. This work of an amazing connoisseur of history is a vast picture of the Russian town.
A word about the first president of Russia
The article "He left
", written in 2000, A. Kamensky begins with a description of B. Yeltsin’s appearance on television on New Year’s Eve and the shock state of people who were at that moment preparing for the New Year.
Analyzing the activities of B. Yeltsin, the scientist boldly declares that the first president of Russia is one of the most tragic figures in Russian history. In the article of A. Kamensky there is a characteristic of B. Yeltsin as a person who knows how to learn and is able to learn new things. He seemed to be able to pick up ideas on the fly.
A. Kamensky also dwells on the mistakes of the first president, among which the largest was Chechnya. The scientist calls her unforgivable. Perhaps someone would call her a crime.
The events of 1991, the author calls the "real revolution."
As the leader of the country, B. Yeltsin was responsible for his people, and in particular, for each. In this regard, A. Kamensky recalls an incident in the life of a hairdresser who knew one, having a family and good earnings, suddenly in the early 80s decided to go to war in Afghanistan. A. Kamensky was very surprised, asked about the reason for such an act and heard the answer, because it is interesting. A similar story happened with his friend, who in the mid-70s worked as a senior researcher. A few years later I saw each other. It turns out he fought. And his answer was exactly the same: "So it’s interesting."
At the end of the article, the author compares two points: the reign of B. Yeltsin and the reign of Catherine II and her grandchildren, Alexander and Nikolai. Although they feared the indignation of the nobility, they understood that without the abolition of serfdom there could be no development of the country.
