In 1829, Petr Chaadeav began writing his philosophical letters. It initiated Russia's search for national identity. He was an important figure in the development of Russian intellectual history. The impact of the letter shook and changed Russia's way of thinking. He argued that Russia was useless and socially backward. Chaadeav was very harsh in his letter and appears to be biased. He made valid points but they aren't entirely true. The evidence shows that Russia was indeed a bit of a copycat, but it was not the only country in search of a national identity. Although Chaadeav's letter was very harsh, it gave Russia a sense of originality. Russia has established its own identity and stands out for its own culture. Russian literature and art made a great contribution to the progress of the world, even if they were considered unoriginal. Petr Chaadeav summarized his nation's history as "brutal barbarism at first, followed by an era of gross superstition, then by ferocious and humiliating foreign domination." . ” He continued by saying “we are alone in the world, we have given nothing to the world, we have not taught it anything. We have not added a single idea to the sum total of human ideas; we have not contributed to the progress of the human spirit. " The Letter electrified Russian creativity: many called Chaadeav crazy, but he was very intellectual. Chaadeav's statement on law codes "No one has a fixed sphere of existence; there are no proper customs, no rules governing anything,” he insisted that Russian legal codes were non-existent. This is not entirely true. As stated in the previous paragraphs, the Table of Ranks is a great example implemented by Peter the Great. Even the laws of Catherine and "Russkaia Pravda" are excellent examples of law... middle of paper... the country in history is truly original. Each country took ideas from another. Be it religion, law codes, slaves, etc. No idea truly belongs to a country. Works Cited Kaiser, Daniel H. and Gary Marker. Reinterpreting Russian History: Readings, 860-1860. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Print. (tags: none | edit tag) Kaiser, Daniel H., and Gary Marker. "Society: the Lowere and Middle Estates." Reinterpreting Russian History: Readings, 860-1860. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. 295. Print. (tag: none | edit tag)"Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i izbrannye pis'ma,." Russian intellectual history: an anthology. Moscow: Nathaniel Knight, 1991. 90, 92-93. Press. (tag: none | edit tag)Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich. Sketches from a hunter's album. Complete edition. London, England: Penguin Books, 1990. Print. (tag: none | edit tag)