Abstract:

The article is devoted to the consideration and identification of perception of N.M. Karamzin of Western Europe, reflected in the «Letters of the Russian traveler». The influence of enlightenment ideas on the assessment of everyday life of peoples and socio-political structures of European States is traced. A comparative analysis of the European powers, as well as the possibility of establishing Western institutions in Russia.

Keywords: Karamzin, cultural and political identity of Russia, Europeanism, Enlightenment, liberalism.