Elem Klimov's Dobro pozhalovat, ili Postoronnim vkhod vospreshchen Essay

Elem Klimov's Dobro pozhalovat, ili Postoronnim vkhod vospreshchen (Welcome, or No Unauthorised Admittance) is one of the - Essay Example In his last letter "Apogia" of a Madman, in essence, he recanted having said that Russian was the equivalent of a "headless horseman". The letters were written over a period of 5 years. There was a transitional change of thought as the dynamics of the country changed. He was highly influenced in how the Russian Elite interpreted his letters. He changed his analysis and philosophical thinking. The first part of this report will explain his philosophical thoughts in 1829 . The 2nd part of this report will explain the "Apogia" concentrating only on his change of philosophical thought. To conclude, the author will explain how a blank sheet of paper becomes a clean slate. Everything in this world can be taken from both sides. Comparing a country to a blank piece of paper is as though you are comparing a history book to empty pages. "Russia has given nothing to her people and to the rest of the world" As each western country went through the process of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, each developed individual cultures, languages and history. The Catholic Church was contingent on Western Nations succeeding. The Russian Orthodox Church kept the pagan customs and the superstitious ways. The control the Orthodox Church held kept the agriculture nation from advancing. Chaadeav expresses two different points of view which are somewhat contradictory. If Russia were such a backward nation and a "blank sheet of paper", how could she possibly be adept at opening up to the West. Russians have the energy and the will to succeed. "Only pure feelings can issue from this pure source" Each nation goes through a cultural, religious and a social renaissance, the Russians went from paganism to foreign domination. Russian history has nothing in common with the necessary development of a civilized country. He received incredible criticism for his opinion of the Russia Utopia. Peter the Great had done so much in the previous century. For a century all science, technology and architec ture came from Western Europeans. Personal development comes with organization of the nation. A country without her own personal history, is a body of land in chaos. The renaissance of each nation is the adolescence of the people. Russia has had no Renaissance and therefore was still considered a child who depended on his parents for survival. His analogy that Russia is unlike any nation which has no history which has no culture nor Renaissance leads to reasoning that the control the church had over Europe must have been a positive effect over the growth and development of the sciences and culture of the different nations. He is hard on his country. He never once mentioned the different needs of Russia and European countries. In Europe, the need of justice, and order was more prevalent as the cities were closer together and commerce had been established for centuries. The last letter is entitled an apology. If Russia put forth an effort due to her strong will, Russia had the potenti al to be a major player in the future. In this letter, he explains or recants that Russia could not go through the middle ages that Europe went through because of the level of social progress Europe had attained in the 18th century. Europe had lived through the Renaissance in Art, Music, Architecture and Literature. There was an advancement of science. Russia had a choice of assimilating the progress of the Renaissance or stay in the dark ages. Chaadaev used the example that Russia was a white piece of paper where he proposed a solution as