Spiritual security of Russia in national historiography of the middle 19th and early 20th centuries

This study is based on the achievements of Russian historiography at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and aims to analyze the most significant social, cultural, and communication practices that form the system of spiritual security. The goal of the study is to examine the main perspectives of Russian scholars on the issues of spiritual sovereignty and the protection of public consciousness from dangerous information influence, using a wide range of sources and literature. The relevance of the study lies in the growing importance of spiritual security in the Russian Federation during periods of threats, challenges, and escalating military tensions, when the role of mass media becomes increasingly significant in shaping the values and goals of individuals and the state as a whole. This is why the spiritual security of Russian society is an imperative for preserving Russia as one of the leaders of global competition. The author shares the position of the contemporary philosopher A. G. Dugin on the importance of spiritual security as a necessary condition for the decolonization of Russia: “Without removing the ideology of our enemy from our society, which continues to actively and aggressively insist on its dominance, and without deliberalizing our consciousness and our culture, this cannot be achieved.” The author is convinced that the relevance of the study is also dictated by the need to study the genesis of the term “spiritual security” and the origin of its sociocultural elements, as the modern meaning of the term has only recently emerged. The publication’s materials can contribute to a critical understanding of state policy in identifying threats to spiritual security and developing appropriate measures to neutralize them.