176 DISGRACE AND EXILEher sonees in Tver', the Grand Duchess discovered the similarity
between Karamzin's political criticism and her own views. She asked
Karamzin to write down their common ideas in the form of a letter
or memorandum which she then would give to her brother. Karamzin
complied, and the result was the now famous tract, Of Old and New
Russia, which was mentioned in the previous chapter. Catherine for-
warded Karamzin's screed to Alexander who, at first, was quite angry
at its independent and reproachful tone and veiled threats. But upon
re-reading and reconsidering it, Alexander found much that was true
and that coincided with his own feelings. The imminent war with
Napoleon contributed to the Emperor's revirement, for he felt that
he must take into full account the sentiments of the old nobility upon
whose services and devotion he would have to depend any moment
now. While Of Old and New Russia did not cause Alexander to
change his attitude towards Speransky, it may have helped to confirm
the Emperor's vague impressions and suspicions. In any case, it informed
the monarch of the feelings of an important segment of Russian public
opinion and society.
The value of Karamzin's piece consisted in that it expressed well and
forcefully some of the basic sentiments of the old fashioned, con-
servative, serf-owning nobility, whose spiritual and social center was
in Moscow. Although Of Old and New Russia deserves close study
and analysis as one of the significant expressions of Russian tradi-
tionalist conservatism, for our purpose - the role played by the
pamphlet in Speransky's downfall - its central message can be stated
in a few words.^1 The policies of Alexander and his State Secretary
are contributing to the decline of the nobility and to the unhappinessof the people. If allowed to continue, this trend will ruin and destroy
the nobility which, after all, is the only source of the Emperor's (and
Russia'S) strength. The establishment of a constitutional government
on foreign patterns, in disregard of the nobility and the spiritual
traditions of the country, amounts to a repudiation of Russia's past,
a past that has made her great and powerful and brought glory to her
monarchs. In the past, Russian Tsars and Emperors had had no need
for Councils of State, Committees of Ministers, and similar novelties,and yet they had ruled with glory and benefit to the nation. If new
1 The political ideas of Karamzin are a subject by themselves, which still needs
investigation. Recently, Karamzin's political views were analysed by Wolfgang
Mitter, "Die Entwicklung der politischen Anschauungen Karamzins," Forschungen
zur Osteuropiiischen Geschichte, Bd. 2, (Berlin 1955), pp. 165-285 and Richard E.
Pipes, "Karamzin's Conception of the Monarchy" in a forthcoming volume of the
lffl/lIfl1d S/rmil Slwiie.l. R. I'ip(", !\lIIIWIZ;JI'.1 Mell/o;,. OJI AJlc;('I11 aJld i\lolinll IIlIs.lia,
the first ch"pler.