THE BEGINNINGS 27to his being rejected by an arrogant ruling aristocracy. For the Russian
nobility, whatever its many faults and its growing "class consciousness",
was still not closed to newcomers from the lower classes (as witness
even the case of Troshchinskii and Bezborodko in the late 18th
century, not to speak of "creations" of imperial caprice like Kutaisov).
Speransky's education, intelligence, his tact and ingratiating personality,
his ability to deal with the most difficult persons and situations, and
the Emperor's trust and friendship would have made his acceptance
by aristocratic society easy. But he did not care to become part of this
society, and he remained in dangerous isolation amidst those whom
he helped to govern.^1 Naturally, "society" resented being snubbed by
an upstart and avenged itself with malicious cruelty.
There were, however, also other reasons for Speransky's isolation
and unpopularity. In the first place, there was something unalterably
"plebeian" about him. Beneath a veneer of erudition, good education,
exquisitely polite manners, and his tact, people detected a sour and
envious note. On the authority of contemporaries who were not all
too friendly to Speransky, Tolstoy depicted him as hypocritical and as
slippery as an eel. This was perhaps neither very fair nor quite correct,
but it was an impression he made on many and with some justification,
as his personal social life shows. Because he wanted to be esteemed
and liked, he was excessively concerned about the opinion people
might have of him. He was never quite at ease with his intellectual
and social equals, let alone superiors. People noticed this insecurity
and discomfort, and interpreted his expressions of consideration and
politeness as mere hypocrisy and sham. On the other hand, if Speransky
felt sure of having established his intellectual superiority, he grew
over-confident, almost arrogant. He ignored, with contemptuous
self-assurance, everyone, including his potential rivals or his willing
allies. So it happened that after gaining the confidence and support
of the Emperor, the only "friend" who really mattered, Speransky
disdained the help and friendship of prominent officials and courtiers.
1 Unlike a later reformer and statesman, Nicholas Miliutin, who also tended to
withdraw from society to pursue his work. Speransky had no one to point out the
dangers such a course presented for his own aims. Grand Duchess Helen used to
warn and remind Miliutin that an administrator and reformer had to live at peace
with the society he belonged to: "Ce qU'elle lui reprochait depuis longtemps,
c'etait de trop s'absorber dans son service, de s'isoler, et, dans un pays oil. les
relations personnelles sont toutes puissantes, de se tenir trop a l'ecart de la societe,
du monde, de la cour. Le meilleur moyen, disait elle. de lutter contre les detracteurs,
c'etait de se faire voir, de montrer 'que Ie diable n'etait pas aussi noir que sa
reputation· ... A. Leroy-Beaulieu, Un homme d'etat russe (Nicolas Milutine) d'apres sa
correspondance inedite - Etude sur la Russie et Ia Pologne pendant Ie rcgne
cl'Alexandre II (1855-1872), Paris 1884, pp. 29-30.