166 PLANS OF REFORMto his militaristic inclinations, whereas in Speransky's, it was an expres-
sion of a bureaucratic and legalistic bent of mind. But essentially, the
two aimed at the same thing and went at it in similar fashion. There
can be no truer characterization of Speransky's and Alexander's attitudes
than the remark of the great German jurist, E. 1. Bekker, "a good
administration is better than the best constitution:' 1
Speransky's closeness to the ideals of enlightened absolutism and to
Alexander's militaristic pedagogy, brings us to a final, and quite im-
portant, observation. Although Speransky had the vision of a better
and spiritually higher political and social condition for Russia, he did
not devise adequate means for implementing his vision and attaining
his ideal. Of course, to the extent that ideals play a role in orienting
men's actions and thoughts, Speransky's statement of his ideas was a
positive contribution to the meagre ideology and narrow outlook of
Russian statecraft. Still Speransky's practical failure cannot be passed
over in silence. His origins, early training, and career prevented him
from putting much reliance in the initiative, independence, and high-
mindedness of Russian society. He had been too close an observer of
the demoralization prevailing among serfs and serfowners, aristocrats,
merchants, and clergymen to set much faith in their capacity for regen-
eration without outside push and guidance. Even in regard to economic
matters, an area which affects material self-interest most directly, the
guiding hand of the state could not be dispensed with, at least for
some time to come. His understandable lack of faith in "society," his
belief in the superiority of the guiding hand of state and monarch,
and his intellectual outlook combined to suggest the method for im-
plementing his proposals. This method was that of legislation, regula-tion, bureaucratic administration. It was by means of rules and decrees
that he hoped to educate Russian society for responsibility and self
government - an approach which was essentially self defeating.^2 His
analysis of the situation at hand and vision of a better future to
1 Quoted by K. Mannheim, Ideology and Utopia (an introduction to the sociology
of knowledge), (New York 1951), p. 106.
2 Contrast this to Stein's faith in society, the nobility and bourgeoisie: "Auch
meine Diensterfahrung iiberzeugt mich innig und lebhaft von der Vortrefflichkeit
zweckmassig gebildeter Stande, und ich sehe sie als ein kraftiges Mittel an, die
Regierung durch die Kenntnisse und das Ansehen aller gebildeten Klassen zu ver-
starken, sie aIle durch Oberzeugung, Teilnahme und Mitwirkung bei den National-
angelegenheiten an den Staat zu kniipfen, den Kraften der Nation eine freie
Tatigkeit und eine Richtung auf das Gemeinniitzige zu geben ... An die Stelle der
Biirokratie muss nicht eine auf kiimmerlichen und schwachen Fundamenten be-
ruhende Herrschaft weniger Gutsbesitzer errichtet werden, sondern es kommt die
Teilnahme an der Verwaltung der Provincialangelegenheiten samtlichen Besitzern
eines bedeutenden Eigentums jeder Art, damit sie aIle mit gleichen Verpflichtungen