The Presidential Library will host a presentation of the book by Sergei Shakhray and Konstantin Krakowski on the lawyers of the revolution

November 22, 2017 at 11:00 in the Presidential Library will be held a presentation of a new book by the Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Law, Professor Sergei Shakhray and Doctor of Law, Professor Konstantin Krakowski "Lawyers and Revolution: Pro et Contra".

This work, based on numerous archival documents, offers an unusual foreshortening of understanding the phenomenon of the Revolution of 1917 - through the prism of destinies and views of prominent domestic lawyers who found themselves on different sides of the barricades and then borders of revolutionary Russia.

Having adopted the idea known since the time of Plutarch, the authors present "comparative biographies" of pairs of lawyers, similar in nature, origin, occupation, social status, but with one significant difference - these bright individuals responded differently to the question “Pro or Contra?” Particular attention is paid to the problem of responsibility of elites for "turns" in the life of the Russian state.

The will of the authors under one cover turned out to be the stories of very bright personalities. Among them there are those who during the years of the revolution took off to the top of the political Olympus (Alexander Kerensky, Vladimir Lenin), and those who preferred to hide from political turmoil in their academic world (Pavel Novgorodtsev, Fedor Taranovsky, Fedor Siegel, Yevgeny Spectorsky). Some were well-known public figures (Vladimir Hessen, Maxim Vinaver, Mikhail Reisner, Iosif Hessen), others held high positions in law institutions (Anatoly Koni, Nikolai Krylenko, Peter Stuchka). Here are also brilliant Moscow lawyers (Vasily Maklakov, Oskar Gruzenberg, Nikolai Muravyov), and no less brilliant people from the provinces (Vladimir Seeler, Andrei Petrovsky), hereditary noblemen and "free Cossacks", cadets, Socialist-Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks, Mensheviks…

But all these bright people belonged to the same legal circle of "old Russia" - rather narrow and closed. They not only "crossed" in university corridors or in court proceedings, but also often lived in the neighborhood, were friends with families, corresponded, bowed at the meeting. It will take several years, and this world will collapse, and many friends will become enemies.

Reflections on personal responsibility for the fate of Russia for all domestic lawyers were closely related to the quite practical question - if stay, then how to build relations with the new government? To take an active civil position or take shelter "in an ivory tower"? To help or to oppose? Trying to convince the Bolsheviks of the need to respect the law and obey the dictatorship of law, or to become obedient to the "designer" of the acts of the new government, to subordinate the right to the current needs of the dictatorship of the proletariat?

From the answers to these questions depended not only the fate (and sometimes life) of domestic lawyers who remained in revolutionary Russia, but also the shape of Soviet law, which emerged as the resultant vector of interaction of individual legal "wills" in the presented historical conditions.

In their book the authors tell not only about their heroes, but also about their Teachers, colleagues, friends and opponents, representatives of various legal professions and schools, about the customs and atmosphere prevailing in the wonderful world of Russian lawyers.

The book is based on a wide range of sources, collected by authors in domestic and foreign archives, a significant part of these materials are first introduced into scientific circulation. The pages of the book reproduce portraits of outstanding and ordinary lawyers and politicians of the past, unique documents and photographs, copies of publications of domestic and foreign newspapers of the XIX - early XX century and other rare illustrations.

"Our new book is a contribution to the cause of public reconciliation", - the authors believe. - A hundred years after the Revolution, it is time to return to the common history the names and heritage of all those who were "forgotten" during the Soviet period and who were tried to forget in the post-communist era".

The book was published thanks to the financial support of the "History of the Fatherland" foundation.

The Presidential Library is not the first time to become a venue for events with the participation of the Doctor of Law, Professor Sergei Mikhailovich Shakhray. In February this year, within the video lecture "The Living Constitution of Russia" a presentation of the book "The Constitutional Law of the Russian Federation" was held.

The program of the event (multimedia hall)

10:45 – Press-approach

11:00 – Signing of cooperation agreement between the Russian Historical Society and the Presidential Library

11:30 –13:00 - Presentation of the book “Lawyers and Revolution: Pro et Contra”

Accreditation of media representatives - until 14:00 on November 21, 2017.

Applications for accreditation should be sent in the attached form to the email address media@prlib.ru, perestoronina@prlib.ru, Maria Perestorina, press-service of the Presidential Library, tel .: (812) 305-16-21, ext. 781; mob .: +7 (921) 099-97-52.

In the attached form it is necessary to indicate in full the full name, the name of the media, the date and place of birth, passport data (series, number, place of registration), the list of the vehicles carried, contact phones.

We draw your attention that the entrance to the Presidential Library is carried out only upon prior request and in the presence of a passport: participants and guests of the event through entrance №1, representatives of the media - through entrance №2.