Chaadayev, Pyotr

Chaadayev, Pyotr (Yakovlevich)

(born June 7, 1794, Moscow, Russia—died April 26, 1856, Moscow) Russian writer. In 1827–31 he wrote in French his Philosophical Letters, which explored among other issues Russia's relation to the West; he urged a Western path of development for Russia. After a Russian translation of the first letter appeared, it was banned, and Chaadayev was declared insane. He continued to live in Moscow, however, where he was venerated by young Westernizers, whose ideas of Russian history precipitated the debate between Slavophiles and Westernizers.