Sergey Efron to Lev Karsavin: “But your place is empty!”. Letters of the “left” Eurasians to L.P. Karsavin as a chronicle of the Klamarsky split

Abstract

The preface and the documents presented are about the split of the Eurasian movement in the late 1920s. For the first time archival materials are being introduced into scientific circulation, revealing the details of the split into two opposing groups of Eurasians. The first group operated in Prague, its leader was P.N. Savitsky. They defended an apolitical, anti-communist, anti-Marxist position, continued to develop the traditions of classical Eurasianism. The second group under the leadership of P.P. Suvchinsky was formed in Paris, it is considered responsible for the politicization of the movement, Marxist and Sovietophile sentiments. Such a scheme has become familiar, but the published documents introduce new adjustments and details important for the history of Russian thought. The publication and scientific comments reveal the role of the organization “Trust” (OGPU) in the split, the composition of the authors of the newspaper “Eurasia” and its thematic focus. The positions of the parties are clarified, and the question of the ideological side of the Eurasian split of 1928–1929 is raised.