V. V. SUMSKY. Fiesta Philippines: Reforms, Revolutions, and Active Nonviolence in a Developing Society. In 2 books. Moscow, Institute of Oriental Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2003. I - 527 s, book II-494 s.

In the national Oriental science, the Philippines was lucky. Many research papers have been written on the history, economy, and geography of this country. And here is the diptych of Viktor Sumsky, the result of many years of research. The scientist modestly defines his task, first of all, as the desire to "close the gap in Russian philology". But in the same unassuming way (a distinctive feature of his style), the author writes about his hope that this work "will make you look back once again at the past century, add some touches to the picture of changes that swept the world at its end and determine today's life" (book 1, p. 9).

Lacuna is the story of February 1986, when civil disobedience by the people of Manila led to the fall of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, and the finishing touches to the picture are the form in which changes were made in the Philippines: a fiesta festival, where prayers intertwined with festivities and fun, and religious ecstasy - with mighty fun.

This large-scale work is staggering. And the abundance of sources used-from official documents to unpublished manuscripts and amateur videos; and the incredible curiosity of the author, who managed to get first - hand information about an exotic country - Filipino, American, domestic; and the most interesting independent judgments and reflections; and literary merits-not so often found in our Oriental studies, alas. But the main thing is that it is amazing, like a high-level symphony, the parts of which can be dedicated individually to a particular topic, but in the end they merge harmoniously into a single whole, which is perceived as such by grateful and admiring listeners.

The leading theme of the treatise-symphonies, of course, is the February events of 1986, or rather, not only the events themselves, but also what happened in the Philippines in 1983-1986. In practice, this topic is the content of the second half (Book II) of the work: from chapter 13, "The Life-giving death of Ninoy Aquino" to Chapter 22, "EDSA". The three parts of the book lead the reader (and the reader) from the senseless and tragic murder of the main opponent Ferdinand Marcos and the reaction of Philippine society to this atrocity (Exodus) through the analysis of the internal political situation, various forces and the external (American) factor (Sacred and Worldly) to the final of February 1986 (Fiesta). It was in the second book and in the Conclusion that V. Sumsky most clearly and consistently expressed his point of view on what happened in the Philippines (and not only there) at the end of the XX century.

The author very accurately defines the psychological state of society after the murder of Benigno Aquino at the Manila airport in August 1983: not only indignation, anger and complete alienation from power, but a whole complex of emotions denoted by the concept of hiya, that is, "a painful feeling of embarrassment, embarrassment, shame for miscalculations and actions committed in front of witnesses" (kn II, p. 29). Beautifully described and skillfully introduced as the ending of the first chapter of Exodus, the atmosphere of Ninoy Aquino's funeral brings the reader to the author's main point when analyzing subsequent events: the national cry of reunited Filipinos turned into the joy of a joint rush to freedom, and most importantly, inspired people that unity is possible.

In the researcher's consideration of the peculiarities of the domestic political situation after Aquino's death, the following is noteworthy. The situation in 1983-1986 is characterized by him as a" crisis of the neo-patrimonial system", which resembled a revolutionary situation. It seems that the scientist sees the foundations of the latter not so much in the usual set of socio-economic (first of all!) works for our Orientalists (and not only Orientalists). and political factors, how many in the features of the national-

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of a social and psychological nature. According to V. Sumsky, the economic difficulties of 1983-1986 not only affected the Filipinos financially, but also hurt their national pride, caused a sense of historical failure and debunked the supreme power as the culprit of what happened (book II, p. 42). His other observation is also true: the paradoxical development of tendencies towards cooperation and at the same time towards isolation of forces opposed to the Marcos regime (the right flank is the "liberal Democrats" led by Salvador Laurel; the left is the "national Democrats", that is, the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of the Philippines, inspired by the ideas of Mao Zedong, the Communist Party of the Philippines, its paramilitary wing - the New People's Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front; "Social Democrats", or "progressive Democrats" - a vast and motley conglomerate of groups of human rights defenders, environmentalists, opponents of US military bases, etc.).

Ultimately, it was not possible to create an opposition coalition. Chapter 14, "Parliament of the Streets" (Book II, pp. 40-83), is devoted to the activities of the opposition and the maneuvers of Marcos, who managed to maintain his position by intimidating either the Communists or the extreme right army clique by coming to power. The parliamentary elections in February 1984, which the National Democrats boycotted, did not seriously shake the Marcos regime.

So why did the situation of 1983-86, in contrast to the very similar circumstances of the previous time, lead the Philippines to their February? The author gives his understanding and explanation by referring to a retrospective of Philippine history (Book I) and the specifics of the 80s of the XX century. (the parts "Exodus" and "Sacred and Profane" in Book II). It is here that the very individual themes that merge into the main sound of the Philippine drama-carnival-are played.

The first of these is the Spanish colonization of the Philippines and its results. Having happily avoided the temptation to refer to the subjects explored or thoroughly touched upon in the extensive historiography (Philippine, American, Spanish, Russian) on this issue, V. Sumsky stops at two, those that then fit seamlessly into the main topic. One of them is the urbanization of the archipelago, which goes back to the so - called reduction-the movement of residents of individual villages-communities (barangays) to the borders of a united settlement (pueblo), which after the baptism of its inhabitants became a church parish. The other is the place and role of the Catholic Church. In this huge and so important topic for understanding Philippine history, the author focused his research on the activities of the Jesuit Order and looked through this prism at both yesterday and today - that is, at the events of 1983-1986 - a situation that is not so much purely religious as related to the influence of religion on socio - political life.

The city's boys ' school was transformed by the Jesuits who returned to the archipelago in 1859 into the Manila Municipal Ateneo, which gave its graduates the right to enter the university. V. Sumsky, breaking down stereotypes, explains "why for non-Western, but modernizing countries, contact with the Jesuit order - a force that, according to the concepts of that time, was quite counter - revolutionary-could to have unexpectedly dramatic consequences" (book I, p. 212). The fact is that the pedagogical goals and methods of education in Jesuit educational institutions are based on the installation of continuous training, education of leaders and the acquisition of communication skills. In the context of colonial Philippine society, these methods and goals helped to create a new generation of people, the best of whom, "filled with self-esteem, who have realized the universal meaning of human rights, will see their vocation in transmitting these thoughts and feelings to other disenfranchised... "(book I, p. 213).

About the topic of urbanization, cities and Cities-a little later. And now-about the role of the Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus in the overthrow of Marcos. Among the various factors that influenced February 1986, V. Sumsky assigns a prominent place to the religious factor. And the theme that sounded in the book. This is chapter 17, "For all I have become everything...". Analyzing the theoretical attitudes and practical activities of the Jesuits in the Philippines in the post-war period, the author highlights as the fundamental idea of the order, which relied on Catholic action (the movement launched by the Vatican to introduce the laity to the Church). social doctrine of the church), filling the spiritual vacuum, since Western liberalism has gone bankrupt, and communist designs are dangerous. He tells how the American Jesuit Hogan created the Institute of Social Order at the Manila Ateneo in 1947, where lectures were given on social encyclicals and the benefits of trade unionism, and in 1950 - the Federation of Free Workers. Jeremias Montemayor, an Ateneo graduate and teacher, founded the Federation of Free Farmers in 1953 to promote class peace in the countryside.

The analysis of the activities of the Christian Social Movement founded in 1967 by Raul Manglapus, who is close to the Jesuits, is also very interesting. The scientist managed to show not only the balancer-

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the difference between moderation and radicalism in the practical activities of the CSD, but also the deep connection of its ideology with the fluctuations rooted in the country's history between reform and revolution. In fact, the activities of Cardinal Jaime Sin, Archbishop of Manila, who ultimately opposed Marcos and played a significant role in the events of 1983-1986, are difficult to detach from the Jesuits 'desire to" be all things to all." He points out that the Jesuits cooperated with the top clergy in the Philippines, and that the latter used the Society of Jesus and its individual members as an essential political resource: "Ultimately, this strengthened the entire church as a flexible, appropriate 'collective intermediary' "(Book II, p. 248).

The second topic is Americans in the Philippines. If, when speaking about Spanish heritage, the author singles out the religious factor among many of its aspects that influenced him (about Ilustrados and Rizala-below), then, quite understandably, he chose the political factor to characterize the heritage (and its continuing influence). Even at the first reference to this topic, the researcher defines the very essence of the" colonial experiment " of the United States in the Philippines. On the one hand, this is the suppression of the struggle for national liberation and, as the author writes in full accordance with the fair assessment established in the domestic Philippine studies, "the counter-revolutionary essence of these acts is indisputable" (book I, p. 348). By the way, even later, describing in Book II the current American policy in the archipelago (and in the world as a whole), V. Sumsky resists the temptation, so characteristic of home-grown liberals, to present US anti-communism as a struggle for universal values, clearly defining both the imperialist nature and the double standards of American actions. But, on the other hand (and the author said this clearly and quite rightly), " the logic of self-preservation and retaining power requires the counter-revolution to implement at least part of what the revolutionaries wanted, but were unable to do. I think it was this logic that set the tone for the" colonial experiment "set in the Philippines in the first half of the last century - although the energy, innovative instinct and quasi-religious attitude of Americans to" their" democracy as a panacea for all ills also played a significant role " (ibid.).

V. Sumsky imaginatively describes the socio-psychological sense of contrast between the twentieth-century Philippine society that was exposed to American influence and the one that existed before the revolution of the late nineteenth century and the seizure of the archipelago by the United States, a saying according to which Filipinos, after spending three hundred years in a monastery, landed in Hollywood for half a century (book I, p. 351). To understand the situation, it is extremely important to note that "in the socio-economic sphere, there was a continuity rather than a break with the Spanish era, and far from its best features were reproduced" (ibid., p. 252). In the chapters "Colonial Democracy", "On war, Neo-colonialism and Counter-revolution", "Marcos had a grand plan..." and "New Old Society", a picture of the socio-economic and political development of the Philippines is drawn in large strokes. And although the author naturally focuses on the Marcos era, that is, the 60s-80s of the XX century, he considers this era not as something fundamentally new, but rather as a block (although very large) in the building created by the Philippine elite with the leadership and assistance of the United States-from pre-war autonomy Manuel Kaesong through the puppet pro-Japanese regime of Jose Laurel-Claro Recto, through the openly pro-American presidencies of Manuel Rojas and Elpidio Quirino, through the changes of the times of Ramon Magsaysay and Diosdado Macapagal to the regime of Ferdinand Marcos. "As the most perfect product of the system that existed from 1946 to 1972," concludes V. Sumsky, " Markoe represented both the system itself and the prospect of its reconstruction from the inside... Responding to this challenge (the possibility of revolution - V. T.), he put forward the concept of peaceful, but profound and all-encompassing transformations-a concept that paradoxically combined moderation with radicalism " (book I, p. 79).

The chapters "The American Factor" and "Again about the American factor", which tell about US policy in the Philippines in the late 70s and mid-80s of the XX century, provide a vivid, detailed picture of the attitude of American administrations to Marcos and his regime, the influence of various US circles on the Philippine opposition and the officer corps. the double standards that are so characteristic of Washington's politics to this day. They fit in with the general theme of the American presence in the archipelago, demonstrating by no means the random nature of the US influence on the fate of the Philippines in the mid-80s.

However, it seems that the researcher did not exaggerate, but rather embellished the activities of the Jesuits in the Philippines, leaving aside other monastic orders and the position of the Catholic hierarchy, the clergy in the archipelago, starting from the XVI-XVII centuries, entering into a certain contradiction with the much-loved Jose Rizal. The same can be said about the" American factor", which V. Sumsky looks (despite all reservations) ultimately too" progressive " and beneficial for the Philippines.

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The third (but by no means the most important) theme of the book is revolutionism and reformism in Philippine society. Occupying the author extremely, it begins to sound in the chapters devoted to the eve of the revolution and, of course, the revolution itself in 1896-1902. Moreover, to sound not in the accepted key: revolutionaries versus reformers. Analyzing the activities of the "Propaganda Movement" and its key figures - Jose Rizal and Marcelo del Pilar - V. Sumsky draws attention to two circumstances:

1) In the Philippines, by the end of the 19th century, there were forces and groups (the Ilustrados of Manila, the lower middle class of Manila, and the provincial nobility of Príncipalia) capable of conveying the nationalist ideology to the Tao peasants and imbued with the millenarian sentiments of the latter;

2) the leaders of the" Propaganda Movement " were "people of a revolutionary rather than reformist temperament", despite the fact that the "Movement" itself never set itself revolutionary goals (Book I, pp. 235-236).

In the most tragic figure of Rizal-a poet-prophet, thinker, politician-and in his dilogy, which stands at the origins of modern Philippine literature, the scientist sees an intellectual-artistic and at the same time practical experiment dedicated to the dilemma "reform or revolution", "the search and comparison of arguments in favor of the first and second, identifying the conflicts of reason and moral sense." feelings arising on this basis" (book I, p. 255). Rizal's drama became the drama of his long-suffering homeland. Describing the revolution, communist and peasant movements in the post-war Philippines, the guerrilla struggle after World War II, and the reforms and maneuvers of a succession of presidents, the author recalls that the Philippines has had to choose between peaceful transformation and revolution more than once: "And time after time, the nation seemed to shy away from the choice: neither post-war productive reform, nor victorious the revolution did not work. Instead, palliatives were invented to numb social pain and even create the appearance of progress for a while... In the end, however, the country returned to the frontiers at which it was again necessary to decide either on reform or on revolution - despite the fact that this choice itself looked more difficult than before" (book I, p. 256).

It is no coincidence that in Book II, after the chapter "Parliament of the Streets", filled with a premonition of a revolutionary explosion, there is a chapter "Alaidangal", which tells about nonviolent missionaries who launched their activities in the Philippines in the 70s - 80s of the XX century. The author's sympathy for such organizations and their ideology is obvious, as is his personal attraction to the reformist solution of the eternal Philippine (and not only Philippine) problem.

However, in my opinion, there is some contradiction in this piece of work. On the one hand, V. Sumsky, who is probably personally well acquainted with the missionaries of nonviolent actions, admires them and even (as the reader may think) exaggerates their importance in the upcoming fiesta, as well as somewhat downplays the role played by the Americans who entered the path of conspiracy against Marcos. On the other hand, a sincere, caring researcher deeply immersed in the Philippine realities-not just an observer, but an author - scientist-paints, analyzes, admires and suffers, telling about the February 1986 events - a kind of culmination of the century-old Philippine fiesta. And he comes to the conclusion: the events on the EDSA (highway of the metropolitan region) - a kind of "velvet revolution" - did not become a real social revolution, but turned into another metamorphosis of the neo - patrimonial system, and the main dilemma - reform or revolution-remained unresolved.

V. Sumsky's dilogy is characterized by one feature, which, in my opinion, is extremely valuable for scientific work dealing with the history, culture, and political science of a particular state. It is densely populated with people. People of the past and our contemporaries: politicians, entrepreneurs and urban planners, poets and artists, reformers and revolutionaries, Filipinos and Americans, Germans and Indonesians... In the author's image, they are alive: both those with whom he managed to meet and talk, and those who left our world long ago or relatively recently. This gives the text color and persuasiveness, and one can understand (and forgive the proponents of finding unshakable laws of socio-economic or political development) a researcher who showed less attention to the actual economic component of Philippine society: after all, in history there are only people and - nothing but people.

In the work there is another character, a living, constantly changing, exerting a huge (if not decisive) influence on the fate of the Philippines, an active participant in the Philippine fiesta.

The name of this character is the City. The author is so close to the image drawn later by Domingo Landicho (book I, p. 159).

Oh, Manila!
The Likeness of God, 
 The Likeness of stone,
 The Twin of man,
 The likeness of fire
 In a garbage pit.

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Founded in 1571, the Glorious and Ever-Faithful City of Manila initially became a symbol of colonial society: Intramuros ("the city within the walls"), where only Spaniards could live, with its majestic buildings in the main square and blocks of stone and brick houses "unprecedented in the land of bamboo huts" (Book I, p. 163), and surrounding non-European neighborhoods and suburbs, where Chinese and Indios (Filipinos)settled.

Life is changing, the City is changing. And in the book there is a motif: the Philippine urbanization of the colonial era is dominated and defined by its primate city-a City named Manila: "This center of political, administrative, trade and economic activities, communications and transport services, communication of the most talented, energetic and professionally trained people from all over the archipelago was already too influential and large in order not to attract the attention of smaller cities, not to unite them by the very fact of their existence and continuous growth" (book I, p. 239, 241). The city spreads nationalist ideas, and the ilustrados of the City is the focus of the provincial principality (nobility) - the link between the City and the Philippine village. No wonder, as V. Sumsky noted, the City is a living character in Rizal's novels, the protagonist of his diology. A changing face: Intramuros-a relic of the past-is being replaced by the suburbs (Binondo, Chiapo, Tondo) across the Pasig River, especially Binondo with its Bridge of Spain and the streets of Escolta and Rosario, which represent not only the hero's aspirations and destiny, but also the expectation of change: "... Manila before Rizal and after it-two different cities "(book I, p. 271).

For those who have picked up the book, I strongly advise you to pay attention to the passage that concludes the author's vision of the City of the era of the revolution of 1896-1902 (book I, pp. 338-339). The passage is succinct, surprisingly accurate and poetic. The main idea of V. Sumsky (it also appears in subsequent parts and chapters): The contradictory nature of Manila's contribution to both the revolution and its consequences is the impossibility of starting a revolution without the City and its alliance with the Americans in the person of Ilustrados, which ensured the victory of the counter - revolution. Manila is the personification of the oligarchy and its clientele and a reminder of the country's ill-being, the "cradle of the revolution" and the citadel of forces hostile to it.

History does not stand still-Manila is in a hurry to follow it. Architect Daniel Burnham and his plan for the "summer capital" of the already American colony, the reconstruction of the Manila center. According to V. Sumsky, this is rather a failure than a success. And the author explains his idea: "How to assess their (buildings constructed according to the project of Burnham - V. T.) discrepancy with the rest of the city? Isn't there something more behind this architectural and urban planning blunder? After all, the very attempt to implant democracy in the fabric of Philippine society had consequences that confused its initiators "(book I, p. 358). Society is changing, the City is changing. Satellite city, Kaesong City - the creation of the ambitious Manuel Kaesong-becomes the official capital. The historical center after the war is a slum area, and the suburbs (especially Makati) are the epitome of the prosperity of the elite and the prosperous layers of the middle class. The metropolitan agglomeration, we read, "called for ... ' reforms from above'." But at the same time, the same metropolis was educating new supporters of the "revolution from above" (book I, p. 474).

Different parts of the City become the protagonists of the fiesta. Plaza Miranda ("Manila Hyde Park"), where the explosion of grenades on August 21, 1971, gave Marcos the reason for the introduction of martial law (book I, pp. 493-494). Mendiola Bridge and Makati, where peaceful and not-so-peaceful demonstrations took place after Aquino's murder, described in the chapter "Parliament of the Streets". The author describes the "parliament of streets" of 1983-1985 as "a combination of indignant speeches with religious rituals and elements of carnival action" (book P, pp. 122-123). And the final chord is the last chapters of the book, where the actions of various forces (spontaneous, legitimately oppositional, conspiratorial) merge into one whole with the appearance of the City, or rather, its components. Luneta-Jose Rizal Memorial Park, a symbol of cultural syncretism, where a rally was held on February 16, 1986, after which the campaign of civil disobedience became an irresistible force and the American government refused to support Marcos. And EDSA, the main thoroughfare of the metropolitan area, where the festive crowds that surrounded the military camps stopped the bloodshed and forced Marcos to leave the country.

Fiesta is a vivid expression of the internal state of society, a theatrical and political embodiment of life, a manifestation that Manila has hosted and is still hosting. Therefore, the City became almost the main character of the book. It is good when people do not forget about the holiday, which, in fact, is our life. It is understandable if he passes indifferently through the streets that are deserted the next day, along which the wind drives strange masks, fragments of garlands, extinct firecrackers. But it's even better if people are thinking about a new holiday, even if the old one didn't quite work out.

The author ends his story in 1986. To readers (and I'm sure there will be many of them) I would advise you to apply (and carefully)

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to the "Conclusion". And it's not just that you can get information about the latest developments in the Philippines from there. This epilogue contains sad and optimistic thoughts, original maxims of the scientist not only about the fate of the Philippines, the Third World, globalization, Russia, and the prospects of humanity in general. Each of these considerations suggests itself to be the subject of a separate study.

And I, who am somewhat skeptical of the victorious and constructive potential of nonviolence in a society riddled with violence, subscribe to the following summary of Viktor Vladimirovich Sumsky: "... a breakthrough beyond the neo-patrimonial system cannot but be revolutionary. Failure to properly prepare for it is nothing but preparation for revolution "(Book II, p. 462).

Before us is a talented, beautiful and instructive work in many ways, perhaps the main advantage of which is the author's belief that the Fiesta of the Philippines, even if burdened with restless, uncertain everyday life, will never end, but will certainly be repeated in the time allotted to it by history.

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