Russification

Russification

Nationalities
1. Ethnic Russians= 1/2 the population
  1. Other 1/2= Ukrainian (22.4%), Polish (7.9%), White Russian (5.8%), Jewish (5%), Kirgiz (4%), Tartar (3.4%), Finnish (3.1%); and lots more
    1. Many resented Russian control, leading to civil disobedience, riots, disturbances
Russification
1. Had to adopt Russian language, culture, customs, religion- lose own national identity
2. Process began under Alexander II, but promoted most vigorously by Alexander III, & continued by Nicholas II
3. In practice meant Russian language in schools, law courts, regional govs
4. Russian officials brought in to run regional govs in non-Russian areas of the empire, like Poland, Latvia, Finland
5. Russians got most important jobs in gov & state-sponsored industry
6. Minorities had to pay large sums to the imperial treasury
Response of Minorities
1. Anger- fundamental attack on their way of life, their national & cultural heritage, their religion
2. Unfair policy that discriminated against them
3. Tsarist gov underestimated strength of nationalism- uprisings and protests in C19th from national groups seeking greater personal freedom & more autonomy (self-government) in their parts of the empire
  1. Tended to occur in one region at a time, & tsarist gov was able to supress them
4. By antagonising & alienating large section of its population, Gov drove many into the ranks of the revolutionaries
5. Russification actually weakened the Gov in the end
Russification & the Orthodox Church
1. Pobedonostev= determined to see Ortho Church at centre of Russification
2. Wanted all citizens of the Empire to become Ortho Christians, and also believed that non-Orthodox subjects= disloyal
3. Ortho churches & cathedrals built all over Empire; clergy= increased to fill them
4. As far as central Asia, OC forced conversion- 100,000 Muslims Tartars becoming Christians (though many reverted to Islam)
5. Determination to exert control over previously autonomous Churches, like Georgian OC- troops used to force clergy
6. Campaign to supplant the Lutheran Church in the Baltic provinces; landless Orthodox peasants were provided w/ farming land, & money poured into Ortho-controlled schools
  1. 37,000 Lutherans converted to Ortho during A3's reign
7. In capitals of Estonia & Latvia, huge onion-domed cathedrals built
  1. Geoffrey Hosking: "alien monsters looming over... medieval architecture"
8. Created hostility; inc. Catholic Church in Poland, & religious sects= deeply resented gov & their religious interference

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	Created by Miranda Daniel almost 9 years ago