The Concepts of «Fatherland» (Otečestvo) and «Empire» in the Russian Civil Discourse during the Reign of Elizaveta Petrovna

Student: Zajnullin Tagir

Educational Programme: Bachelor

Year of Graduation: 2014

The concepts of «fatherland» and «empire» are inextricably linked with the ideas of educated political elite of the Russian Empire in the middle of the 18th century about authority,  subjection, public institutions, therefore, the analysis of their use in civil discourse in the epoch of Elizaveta Petrovna may be the key to understanding the internal and external state representation.In recent decades a lot of scientific papers are devoted to history of concepts. Most of them are focused on the concepts of 18th century which was crucial for Russian history. However often researches concentrate on the time of Peter the Great ruling, when most of the concepts appear, and Catherine the Great – when they became totally comprehensive.This research is aimed at filling in an existing gap in studying concepts of the middle of 18th century and at understanding of peculiarities and interrelations between political ideas and language of Russian elita at Elizaveta’s epoch. We focus on understanding and use of the concepts “fatherland” and “empire” by educated people of the middle of the 18th century. This work provides a profound study of periodicals, legislation, personal documents together with P. Shuvalov and I. Shuvalov’s projec. The aim of the study is to identify the specific way how the concepts given together with ideas of citizenship and patriotism are connected to them were revealed in the discourse of educated people in the middle of 18th century.Chapter One is devoted to the concept of «fatherland» and ideas of subjection, service and patriotic feelings. And Chapter Two studies the use of concept «empire» and examines ideas of territory and arrangement of the empire.Conclusions of the work allow us to claim that the concept of «fatherland» and «empire» were crucial in the civil and political discourse of the epoch. In the middle of the 18th century the radical transformation of ideology, which would have occured during the reign of Catherine II, has not happened yet. However, in the era of Elizaveta there was the development of the ideas which were born in the beginning of the century and which would have formed the basis for a change in political language in the future.

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