History as a science always has an important weight in society. Interest in history should never fade away. The role of history is supported by scholars who devote their energies to painstaking research work. These words also apply to the scientist Alexander Borisovich Kamensky.
Biography
Historian Alexander Borisovich Kamensky is a native Muscovite. Born in 1954. Received higher education at the Moscow Pedagogical Institute named after N. K. Krupskaya. The dissertation was devoted to the Russian state apparatus of the 18th century. Subsequently, work began in the Central Archives. He taught at the Russian State University for the Humanities, then became dean of the history department of the National Research University.
Favorite eighteenth century
A. B. Kamensky has written numerous monographs, articles, textbooks. He was interested in the 18th century: the reforms of Peter I, Catherine II, issues of the life of townspeople, archival affairs, etc. He was also worried about issues of modern life, for example, the question of teaching history in higher educational institutions and the question of what a history textbook should be. In addition, his research interests included genealogy and biography.
Window to a new world
Everyone knows that the 18th century was a turning point for Russia. The author took legislative acts of the 18th century, letters of Peter the Great, projects of Catherine II and other statesmen, including unrealized ones, some historical books published in the 19th century, etc. as a source for his monograph "From Peter I to Paul I".
Analyzing the period of Peter's 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 question raised in the work of A. Kamensky is whether the reforms of the next 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 positively.
So, in the first years after the death of Peter the Great, the process of transformations in the country did not stop. As a result of reforms from Peter I to Paul I, society gained new experience, rich and useful.
Catherine II is one of the most successful Russian reformers
A. Kamensky, analyzing the life of the 18th century in his articles, dwells on the transformations of Catherine II. Historians assess her activities in different ways. And in society there is banal information about this queen: there were many men in her life.
Some historians argue that the reign of Catherine was the golden age of Russian history. True. Science flourishes. The creativity of writers and painters is in full bloom. The art of opera was born. Russia at this time did not lose a single war and even annexed the lands.
In domestic politics, Catherine was an adherent of the ideas of the enlighteners. Denis Diderot, who came to Russia, taught her. She listened intently, but did not try to do what he suggested. The Empress said that his ideas were bookish, but in practice everything was not so. The queen understood perfectly well that it was necessary to know the mood of society and that it was necessary to prepare it for reforms gradually. She herself wrote the laws.
So, according to the historian A. Kamensky, Catherine the Great was one of the most successful reformers, because she managed to implement her program without major upheavals.
And the life of the townspeople is interesting
To describe the life of people living in the 18th 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 life, using judicial and police sources. He analyzes the life of a city dweller's family, family ties, attitudes towards neighbors and strangers. This work of an amazing connoisseur of history presents the most extensive picture of a Russian town.
A word about the first president of Russia
A. Kamensky begins the article "He Gone …", written in 2000, with a description of the appearance of B. Yeltsin on TV screens on New Year's Eve and the shock state of people who were preparing for the New Year at that moment.
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. A. Kamensky's article describes B. Yeltsin as a person who knows how to learn and is able to assimilate new things. He seemed to be able to pick up ideas on the fly.
A. Kamensky dwells on the mistakes of the first president, among which the biggest was Chechnya. The scientist calls her unforgivable. Perhaps someone would call it a crime.
The author calls the events of 1991 “a real revolution”.
As the leader of the country, B. Yeltsin was responsible for his people, and in particular, for everyone. In this regard, A. Kamensky recalls a case from the life of a familiar hairdresser who, having a family and a good income, suddenly decided in the early 1980s to go to fight in Afghanistan. A. Kamensky was very surprised, asked about the reason for such an act and heard the answer, because it was interesting. A similar story happened with an acquaintance of his, who worked as a senior researcher in the mid-70s. We saw each other a few years later. It turns out that he fought. And his answer was exactly the same: "It's so 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 Nicholas. Although they feared the indignation of the nobility, they understood that without the abolition of serfdom there could be no development of the country.
History is the interest and work of a lifetime
A. B. Kamensky was awarded a medal in honor of the 850th anniversary of Moscow. Research works became for A. Kamensky the main interest in life. The contribution made by the famous scientist A. Kamensky to the development of history is significant.
