The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

The author analyses how religious thinkers of the Russian emigration (Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov, Georgy Fedotov, Mother Maria (Skobtsova)) reflected on the Russian Revolution of 1917 and traced the initial anthropological shifts that later were used by the totalitarian state in its project of creating a “new” “soviet human being”. Particularly, they focused on such phenomena as being captivated by the chaos of riot, merging with crowd, refusing to think independently. Opposing to this process of dehumanisation was viewed by them as understanding and recognising of their own guilt and historical responsibility for the crisis shaking Russia as well as their interconnectedness with those suffering, perishing, and “defeated”.