‘Enthusiasts’ and ‘Fanatics’: The Decembrists as a Case Study in French Influence on Russian Culture, Emotions and Thought

Participants in Russia's 1825 Decembrist uprising against the Tsarist regime were, quite literally, a case study in French cultural influence upon Russia. This is particularly true as it relates to Russia's emotional cultures. Although this has not, traditionally, been the primary focus of historical analysis of this event (in Soviet or Western scholarship), the episode left behind a wealth of insights on this special bilateral cultural relationship and the history of emotions in Russia, which this article explores.