Chapter 33: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

Of all the gains from this gathering, Mikhail could only say that after so long in Russia, this was the first time he’d ever eaten himself full.

Cough… cough…

Another gain was that, through listening to conversations around him and gradually joining in, Mikhail was slowly mapping out the intellectual currents among Russia’s intelligentsia at the time.

There was no way to survive in the literary circles of this era without understanding the myriad political ideologies, philosophical doctrines, and artistic views.

After all, in this period, whether one pursued revolution, political reform, or literature and art, ideas came first—once a clear, noble ideal emerged, large groups would chase after it, a world that seemed ethereal yet profoundly desirable.

Precisely because this was an era of violent social upheaval, with the decline of feudalism and religious authority, a vacuum of thought had emerged; if the times had changed so drastically from the past, why should people still live as they had before?

Thus, philosophers, thinkers, and intellectuals began a transformation in the realm of ideas, and our revolutionary homeland, France, took the lead.

First came rationalism, fully unleashed by the Enlightenment, which convinced intellectuals of the power of human reason, prompting them to challenge despotism, explain science, and envision utopias—sparking an intellectual revolution.

Then, France’s domestic situation was already dire, and Louis XVI, a fool, kept making reckless moves.

Ultimately, under the guidance of ideals like “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” the French Revolution of 1789 shocked the entire European world.

Louis XVI himself was utterly bewildered by this revolution…

Against this backdrop, a generation of 19th-century intellectuals like Hegel and Fichte regarded thought itself as the engine of historical progress; Hegel even directly proposed the philosophical proposition that “Reason rules the world.”

One major example of its impact on Russian intellectuals was the Stankevich Circle, founded in 1831 at Moscow University’s Philosophy Department, which primarily studied Hegelian philosophy and advocated individual freedom and humanism.

Belinsky had attended this circle’s gatherings multiple times.

However, it is worth noting that Belinsky’s own thought underwent a profound transformation.

In the late 1830s, Belinsky became trapped in Hegel’s philosophy, essentially stuck in the formula “What exists is rational”—since social institutions naturally produce their own demise, their continued existence merely proves their temporary rationality.

Then, was the Tsar’s rule in Russia today also rational?

Under this thinking, Belinsky once even supported Russia’s autocracy.

But after moving to St. Petersburg and seeing more clearly the injustice and cruelty of society, he launched a rigorous self-criticism.

Meanwhile, events in the early 1840s—the rising revolutionary tide, political developments in Western Europe, the restoration of his friendship with Herzen, and reading the early materialist writings of Old Marx—further solidified Belinsky’s materialist worldview, and he no longer avoided reality but confronted it head-on and began to fight.

By the way, Old Marx and Nicholas I had a transnational clash: in 1843, Old Marx committed an inflammatory act in the Rheinische Zeitung, denouncing the Russian Tsar:

“What the fuck century is this, and you’re still clinging to traditional despotism?! You do it yourself, fine—but you want others to join you too? You don’t want revolution or freedom for yourself, and you won’t let other nations have them either—are you even human? You’re the rotten apple of the European revolutionary movement!”

Though this was transnational keyboard politics, Nicholas I somehow got wind of it and flew into a rage: “You’re full of shit—dare to come to Russia and see how real I am, you’re done!”

Although Tsar Nicholas I couldn’t use his tangible hand to send Old Marx to Siberia to mine coal, he ultimately used his invisible hand to protest to the King of Prussia.

Upon hearing this, the King of Prussia immediately ordered the Rheinische Zeitung banned; thus, Old Marx lost his job due to the Tsar’s invisible hand. Fortunately, soon after, he met the son of a factory owner—though they clearly belonged to different classes, the factory owner’s son greatly admired Old Marx, conversing with him, giving him money, and even ghostwriting parts of his articles when he fell behind on deadlines.

As for what happened afterward, let’s just say: a specter had begun to haunt the entire European continent.

Of course, the above account of Old Marx is somewhat abstract—he certainly wouldn’t have spoken as crudely as Mikhail portrayed him, cough… cough…

In summary, in this era, how could you dare call yourself an intellectual if you didn’t understand the myriad philosophical ideas, political views, and artistic doctrines?

Moreover, gatherings like salons were common venues for exchanging such ideas; if you performed poorly, others would look down on you, and you’d never be invited again.

This was utterly unacceptable to Mikhail.

Whether others respected him wasn’t the main issue—the crucial point was that without access to salons, where else could he go to eat and drink for free?

All he had to do was listen to others brag for a while, occasionally nod along to their nonsense, and he’d get a full meal—where else in Russia could you find such a deal?

Of course, the most important thing was still Mikhail’s own writings—these were the foundation of his survival in this era.

As for whether he could fully grasp all this after sorting it out, Mikhail felt no great pressure: first, the original host had a solid foundation; second, Mikhail himself wasn’t lacking—he’d studied everything he needed to, whether relevant or not, to climb aboard.

Now, with his memory further strengthened, he could at least grasp these concepts well enough to mingle in salons without trouble.

After all, salons were full of aristocrats who merely pretended to be cultured.

Additionally, due to his enhanced memory, Mikhail could now actually articulate a fairly coherent philosophical doctrine, and shout out:

“God is dead!!!”

Then elaborate on it in detail.

But considering Nicholas I was a devout Orthodox Christian, Mikhail decided to wait a while before saying it…

(End of Chapter)