Dostoevsky’s Perception of Turks and the East in the Context of the Western Question

Dostoevsky analyzed Western society in its religious, political and social manifestations and at every opportunity related his metaphysical thoughts to the present political situation and possible future of the West. Although he criticized the West in all its aspects, he thought that the main antagonism was between Russia, the prospective leader of the West, and the Ottomans, the representative of the East and he saw the Turks as the main enemy. Dostoevsky criticized the West with the intention of finding a remedy for its present crisis. On the contrary he criticized and attacked to the Turks in order to bring the East to her knees. According to the universal ideal of Dostoevsky, Eastern peoples are predestined to succumb to the Western powers led by Russia and serve it as a colonized entity. Thus the universal mission, to which Dostoevsky assigned Russia, is also a proposal for a new Russian-centered Eastern policy for the West. Dostoyevsky claims that Russia should capture Constantinople in order to realize its historical mission and take the place of Byzantine Empire. However, this Eastern policy which stems from the ideal of Third Rome has upset the balances in the Western World and driven a wedge between Russia and the other Western Powers. At this point, the Eastern question has become a Western question for Russia and Dostoevsky.