Specificity of N.A. Berdyaev and I.A. Ilyin's attitude to the Soviet government

Introduction . The article deals with the problem of the attitude of N.A. Berdyaev and I.A. Ilyin to the Soviet government. The relevance of the research stems from the rapidly growing interest of the scientific community and Russian society as a whole in the Soviet era and the legacy of the presented thinkers. It is emphasized that if I.A. Ilyin initially rejects the Soviet regime, which, as he believed, tore up the history of Russia, then N.A. Berdyaev, recognizing its historical place, initially refuses to interact and cooperate with the new government. After 1945, N.A. Berdyaev will take a pro-Soviet position. I.A. Ilyin throughout his intellectual biography will be antagonistic to the Soviet government and to Bolshevism, which resulted in today's debate about the thinker's sympathy for fascism. Materials and methods . The main material of this study is the works of the authors: A.A. Ermichev, I.S. Stokalich, V.S. Makarov, A.U. Bubnov, A.V. Shumskoy, A.V. Bagaev, M.F. Nikiforov, A.I. Vakulinskaya, V.I. Kulikov. The following methods were used in the article: system analysis, philosophical analysis, interpretation, comparison and synthesis. Results . As a result of the study, an attitude of disagreement with the activities of the Soviet government in Russia was revealed, characteristic of both thinkers. At the same time, significant differences in Berdyaev and Ilyin's attitude towards this government and its policies are also revealed: N.A. Berdyaev's attitude has undergone an evolution (from negativism to justification), while I.A. Ilyin's negative attitude has remained unchanged and even led to interaction with forces opposing the USSR on the principle of "my enemy's friend is mine a friend." Discussion and conclusions . In the pre-war period, N.A. Berdyaev cautiously criticized the Soviet government, becoming a pro-Soviet thinker after 1945. If I.A. Ilyin from the very beginning will resolutely reject the communist regime as an organic part of national history, then N.A. Berdyaev, recognizing its historical place, initially refuses to interact and cooperate with the new government. I.A. Ilyin, unlike N.A. Berdyaev, has always been categorical critics of the Soviet government, its the anti-clerical course and the entire socio-economic field of management. He believed in the imminent collapse of the totalitarian system of the USSR, which should be replaced by a national-patriotic "liberal dictatorship". I.A. Ilyin's radical anti-Sovietism and anti-Communism largely explains his cooperation with the German authorities before 1938.