PLANS OF REFORM 139"absolutist feudalism" (equivalent to absolute monarchy). The latter
form of feudalism in turn yielded the place to the "republic," or
"true monarchy" in his terminology of 1803. All European states have
followed this pattern, and Russia is no exception. At the moment,
Russia is in the stage of absolutist feudalism. 1 These considerations
lead Speransky to believe that each period in the life of a nation or
state has its own political requirements. This form of historicism he
probably has derived from his reading and study of contemporary post-
Kantian philosophies. The existence of a scheme of development raises
the question of the timeliness of specific political reforms and changes.
"\J\Torldly empires have their periods of grandeur and their periods
of decline," reflects Speransky, "and for each period the character
of government must be consistent with the level of the state's
civic education. Every time when the ways of government lag
behind or outstrip this level [of education], the government is
subverted by greater or lesser convulsions." 2
To avoid such failure as that of the reforms of Joseph II in Austria or
of Anne and Catherine II in Russia, it is first essential to make sure that
the time is ripe for the change, for "time is the first principle and
source of all political innovations. No government which is out of
harmony with the spirit of the times can withstand the powerful action
of this spirit.":3
Russia has reached the second stage of feudalism, it is in the period
of absolutism and progressing towards liberty. In Russia this evolution
towards "true monarchy" will be simpler and more direct than it had
been in Western Europe, as Russia has no strong feudal features,
primogeniture for instance. Education and enlightenment have spread
at a phenomenal rate in Russia during the 18th century and as a
result, politically and historically, the Russian Empire is now on a
level of equality with the great monarchies of the West. This rapid
and far reaching modernization has produced a cleavage between the
desires of society, the needs of the time, and the system of government.
1 Plan 1809, pp. 18-19, 20. Speransky defined feudalism as "absolutism tempered
by material forces" (ibid., p. 17) - while this definition shows Speransky's insight
into at least one important aspect of the feudal system (Le., the distinction between
dominium and potestas) it also explains the seeming paradox of the phrase,
"absolutist feudalism." In any case, Speransky was quite aware of the function of
"estates" (Stiinde) in the political development of the West.
2 Plan 1809, p. 15.
S ibid., p. 16. This statement sets the Plan in a ,relative, historically determined
framework, in contrast to the absolute ("natural") principles of the 18th century.
This "historicist" position of Speransky indicates his affinity for what Mannheim has
called the "conservative style of thought." K. Mannheim, "Conservative Thought,"
Essays on Sociology and Social Psychology, (London 1953), pp. 95, 113-114, 117.