The Attitude of the Russian Intelligentsia to Values and Lifestyles of the Western European Society in the 19thcentury br

The problem of national identity in Russia of the 19thcentury manifested itself in the need to understand its place in the conglomerate of cultures, and to determine the nature of its relations with the European civilization. This study analyzes the attitudes of the Russian intelligentsia toward the values and lifestyles of the Western European society. The study is based on the analysis of memoirs and scientific works of representatives of the Russian intelligentsia, who greatly influenced the public opinion and had a significant impact on the formation of national identity. The lack of a unified position among the Russian intelligentsia about the nature of the relationship with European civilization led it to split into two camps, the Slavophiles and the Westerners, which greatly complicated the solution of the issue of national identity. This paper analyzes the Russian public's sources ofinformation about life abroad. These include both personal contacts during European travels and published memoirs. The periodical press and scientific works, such as N.Danilevsky's book "Russia and Europe", played an important role in the formation of the image of Europe. The desire of Russians to visit Europe and learn as much as possible about it was opposed by the official authorities, who did not welcome active Russian-European contacts for ideological reasons. Our analysis of the sources and works ofpresent-day authors has shown that, despite the difference of beliefs, the Russian intelligentsia perceived Europe as a single cultural and historical space, quite different from Russia. TheRussian intelligentsia determined the nature of its relations with Europe depending on its perception of the country's past development, which differed greatly among its representatives.