D.I. Mendeleev about the cultural and historical tasks of Russia in the East

At the turn of the XIX–XX centuries, the movement of Russia to the East became one of the topics discussed in domestic journalism and scientific thought. His views on this issue were also expressed by the outstanding scientist D.I. Mendeleev. In his works he stressed the historical necessity and inevitability of Russia’s access to the Pacific Ocean, the importance of its foreign policy development in the Far East direction. Showing the cultural and civilizational distancing of Russia from the West, he focused on the presence of eastern features in it, but at the same time he noted its cultural and historical uniqueness. In Mendeleev’s discourses, a departure from Eurocentrism in the assessments of the East and Russia can be traced. Speaking about the cultural and historical tasks of Russia, the scientist stressed that it was more important to maintain the «charm» of the name in the East than to imitate Western states, especially England. In Mendeleev’s papers, special emphasis was made on the peaceful strengthening of Russia in Asia and a friendly attitude towards the Eastern peoples. An interesting feature of Mendeleev’s reasoning is the motif of a fairy tale: on the one hand, it is a half-sketchy east, on the other, a fairy tale as the image of an ideal future for Russia.