Images of political power in the Work of Yevgeny Tarle

Yevgeny Tarle, a scholar of the pre-revolutionary academic formation, achieved prominence as the most renowned historian in the USSR, largely due to the dramatic trajectory of his career. His research focused on economic history, and he was an advocate of the “economic materialist” perspective. Additionally, he was a proponent of Russia’s democratic renewal. In consequence of the impact of the Great War, his attention shifted to the history of international relations. The study of geopolitics supplanted that of economics in his work; his research subsequently concentrated on military conflicts and diplomacy in lieu of social issues. The scholar’s research focused on the typology of political power as manifested in the images of those who hold political office. The role of a strong personality became a prominent factor in the evaluation of those in positions of authority. Napoleon exemplified this quality as the most formidable military leader in history. His personality was characterised by an unwavering pursuit of power, which manifested in an extreme form of despotism. In Tarle’s analysis, the despotic personality, which challenges the norms of human relations accepted in society, emerges as a pivotal force in historical processes. It is not moral judgement per se that is of consequence; rather, it is the results of the ruler’s activity that should be the criterion in his assessment. This is a conclusion that may be derived from the historian’s characterisation of his other favourite hero, namely Empress Catherine II. The immoral aspects of her behaviour were, in Tarle’s estimation, offset by the historically significant Russian conquests that occurred during her reign. The scholar’s perspectives on authority and the function of a dominant personality reflected the distinctive characteristics of the civilizational collapse experienced by the nation with the advent of a personal dictatorship and the designation of a newl ruling class. Concurrently, in the collision of changing epochs, it can be posited that Tarle’s interpretation of the historical process resonated with the altered expectations of Soviet society.