En
Ru
Birthday anniversary of Pavel Milyukov, Russian politician, historian, publicist
“The first thing that strikes the eye of anyone who expresses interest for
the scientific career of Pavel Nikolayevich and in particular his works on the Russian history,
is an incredible breadth of his scientific interests. Archaeology, ethnography, linguistics, history of the economy, social life, political institutions and mind, culture, history of church, school, science,
literature, art and philosophy – all of this attracted the attention of Milyukov and his searching look…
he was not an occasional visitor in all these spheres, but a master;
he swiftly comprehended everything that was done by the historical science before him
and was at the front of its modern achievements.”
Myakotin V. A.
January 15 (27), 1859 in Moscow, in a noble family, was born Russian politician, historian, journalist, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Provisional Government in 1917, Pavel Nikolaevich Milyukov.
Having graduated in 1877 from the 1st Moscow high school, Pavel Milyukov entered the History and Philology Department of Moscow University, where his teachers were P. G. Vinogradov and V. O. Klyuchevsky. During his school and college years had been practicing tutoring to support the family. In 1881, for his participation in a student gathering, Miliukov was expelled from the University, but a year later was reinstated and continued his studies at the Department of Russian history under the guidance of Klyuchevsky, while teaching at the high school and female teachers' courses in Moscow.
In 1882, after graduating from university, Pavel Nikolaevich stayed at the subdepartment of Russian history to prepare for a professorship.
In May 1892 for his thesis "Russian National Economy in the first quarter of XVIII century and the reform of Peter the Great", which won the S. M. Soloviev award, Miliukov received a master's degree in Russian history. In the following years were published his "Essays on the History of Russian Culture", "Main Currents of Russian historical thought," “Decomposition of Slavophilism ", etc.
From the beginning of 1890s Miliukov had been a member of the Society of Russian History and Antiquities, the Moscow Archaeological Society, the Society of Natural Science, Geography and Archaeology; he was engaged in educational activities for the Moscow Committee of literacy and the Commission for self-education.
In 1895 Miliukov was dismissed from the University (for his "harmful influence on young people"). Teaching was prohibited to him and he was expelled from Moscow to Ryazan. In Ryazan, he took an active part in local Archival Commission, on his initiative systematic archaeological excavations were organized in the province of Ryazan. Two years later, Miliukov got a chair at History Department of Sofia University in Bulgaria, where he lectured on philosophical and historical systems, on Roman history and the early period of the history of Russia and the Czech Republic. At the request of Russian authorities, he was suspended from teaching and traveled to Macedonia, publishing "Letters from the road" in the "Russian Gazette" (1897-1899).
In 1901, for the "word memorial" spoken at the evening in honor of the memory of the philosopher, sociologist and publicist P. L. Lavrov, Miliukov was arrested and sentenced to 6 months of prison.
In 1903-1905 Miliukov took a long trip abroad: in the U.S., Britain and other countries he gave lectures, which advocated the need of establishing in Russia a constitutional government.
After his return to Russia, Pavel Nikolaevich focused his efforts on political activity: he became one of the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic Party, established in October 1905, the editor of “Rech’” paper, the central body of the party, leader of the Kadet fraction in the 3rd and 4th State Duma.
In 1915 Miliukov organized the Progressive Bloc in Duma in order to create a "government of public confidence." In November 1916, he made a speech in Duma criticizing the government and hinting at the "betrayal" of the elites.
After the February Revolution Miliukov was elected a member of the Provisional Committee of the Duma, in March-April 1917, served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government.
In November 1917 Miliukov went to the Don, where he joined the "Don Civil Council” and wrote a declaration of the Volunteer Army, formulating its goals and principles.
In autumn 1918 Pavel Nikolaevich left Russia; from 1921 he lived in Paris. In France Milyukov became editor of "Breaking News" paper (1921-1940), uniting around itself the best literary and journalist forces of the Russians abroad. He was the founder and chairman of the Society of Russian Writers and Journalists, the Club of Russian writers and scholars, the Committee for Famine Relief in Russia (1921), one of the organizers of the Russian People's University. Milyukov lectured at the Sorbonne, the College of Social Sciences, at the Franco-Russian Institute. At the same period he resumed his scientific work: issued two-volume work, "Russia at the turn" (1927) about the events of the Civil War, prepared for publication enlarged and revised edition of the “Essays on the History of Russian Culture" (published in 1930-1937), etc.
After Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Milyukov declared his solidarity with the Government of the USSR.
Pavel Nikolayevich Milyukov died March 31, 1943 in the town of Aix-les-Bains (France). After the war his remains were reburied at the Paris Cemetery of Batignolles.
Lit.: Александров С. А. Лидер российских кадетов П. Н. Милюков в эмиграции. М., 1996; Вандалковская М. Г. П. Н. Милюков, А. А. Кизеветтер: история и политика. М., 1992; Вернадский Г. В. П. Н. Милюков. Пг., 1917; Кизеветтер А. А. П. Н. Милюков. М., 1917; Макушин А. В., Трибунский П. А. Павел Николаевич Милюков: труды и дни (1859-1904). Рязань, 2001; Милюков П. Н. Воспоминания (1859-1917). В 2 т. М., 1990; Милюков П. Н. История второй русской революции. Вып.1-3. Париж, 1921-1924; Милюков П. Н. Россия на переломе: Большевистский период русской революции. Т. 1-2. Париж, 1927; Милюков П. Н. Эмиграция на перепутье. Париж, 1926; Милюков П. Н.: Сборник материалов по чествованию его семидесятилетия, 1859-1929. Париж, 1930.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Милюков П. Н. Главные течения русской исторической мысли. СПб., 1913;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. СПб., 1896. Ч. 1;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. СПб., 1899. Ч. 2 ;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. СПб., 1901. Ч. 3;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. СПб., 1903. Ч. 3;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. СПб., 1904. Ч. 1;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. СПб., 1916. Ч. 2;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. Париж, 1930. Т. 3;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. Париж, 1931. Т. 2. Ч. 2;
Милюков П. Н. Очерки по истории русской культуры. Париж, 1937. Т. 1. Ч. 1.