The first movement associated with Russian Nationalism was that of the Slavophiles. The Slavophiles were different from their French contemporaries, who saw their identity in relation to the French state. For the Slavophiles, culture, consisting of the Russian language and literature, and the belief in Orthodox Christendom and not so much the state brought about national unity. Vastly influenced by their German neighbors to the West, in the time of Romanticism, Slavophiles tried to cultivate and enhance the idea of a Slavic people and a national community through their writings, and by accentuating the common belief in Orthodox morality and the purity of the rural folk against the decadent West. The Slavophiles had their basis mainly among the intellectuals, what was perceived as Russia’s cultural elite. During the first half of the 19th century, Russia, as the only independent Slav state, with its vast population and its political might, was seen as the heartland of Slavic people.
It was after Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-56, when Slavophilism emerged into a political ideology and entered the sphere of politics. Now, intellectuals wanted to put Slavophile ideas on the political agenda, which ought to liberate the smaller Slavic communities from Ottoman, Austrian, and Prussian yoke and bring them under the protection of their bigger brothers, the Russians. Despite its attractiveness and support among Russia’s intellectual elite, and other Slavic intellectuals, the Russian Tsar and officials hesitated with the political ideas of Panslavism. Not all of Russia was populated with Slavic people, but there were also Jews, Baltics and Germans. Further, not all Slavs identified themselves as Orthodox and wanted to be ruled by Russia, for example the Poles. Moreover, Panslavic ideas were responsible for nurturing independent national movements, who were fighting for their right of self-determination from any foreign rule. Confronted with the impact of these ideas, the Russian authorities half-heartedly approached Panslavism. Official Russia, in its nationality policy, pursued the russification of its Western territories through Russian language and education, but dismissed Panslavic ideas in its high politics like in foreign policy, despite in rhetoric.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Susanna Rabow-Edling, Slavophile Thought and the Politics of Cultural Nationalism
Michael Boro Petrovich, The Emergence of Russian Panslavism, 1856-1870
Alexei Miller, The Romanov Empire and Nationalism: Essays in the Methodology of Historical Research
Theodore R. Weeks, Nation and the State in Late Imperial Russia: Nationalism and Russification on the Western Frontier, 1863-1914
Robert Edelman, Gentry Politics on the Eve of the Russian Revolution: The Nationalist Party, 1907-1917
Eric Lohr, Nationalizing the Russian Empire: The Campaign against Enemy Aliens during World War I
Conclusion: Historiographical Comparison
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines the evolution and implementation of Russian nationalism and nationality policy throughout the final decades of the Romanov Empire (1856–1917), utilizing a comparative historiographical analysis of six key monographs to challenge prevailing assumptions about imperial consistency and state ideology.
- The transition from Slavophile cultural identity to organized Panslavic political ideology.
- The situational nature of imperial policy versus the myth of a coordinated, fixed strategy of Russification.
- The role of nationalist interest groups and the Gentry in shaping local government policy.
- The impact of World War I as a catalyst for radicalization, xenophobia, and the "nationalization" of the Russian Empire.
Excerpt from the Book
Michael Boro Petrovich, The Emergence of Russian Panslavism, 1856-1870
Petrovich’s book covers Russian history the time from 1856 to 1870. He shows the transformation of Slavophile thought after Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War (1853-56), and its evolution into a political program, which was able to reach a broader audience through the press, and became an ideological manual among some officials as a possible instrument for Russian foreign policy in the Balkans.
Petrovich’s thesis is that in the period from 1856 to 1870, Panslavism was building up as a program designed to take maximum advantage of a crisis brought upon Russia by cultural backwardness and political defeat against Western Europe. He argues that Panslavism served as a “sounding-board” of a new, and restless Russian nationalism among a tiny but influential group of intellectuals. However, Petrovich also says that by its very existence, the increasingly aggressive Russian Panslavism was bound to have political repercussions in the set of circumstances, which plagued eastern Europe and Russia’s western borderlands in a time of national awakening and unrest.
On the one hand, Petrovich says that the Russian bureaucracy was overall indifferent to the Panslavic cause. They had more important things to think about, notably the Great Reforms of 1860s. On the other hand, intellectuals and Slavic clubs had a small membership and their activities remained limited to philanthropic and cultural themes with meager resources. Still, the Panslavic press and the Moscow Slav Congress of 1867 served to keep the Slavic question in the public.
Summary of Chapters
Susanna Rabow-Edling, Slavophile Thought and the Politics of Cultural Nationalism: Examines how early Slavophile intellectuals articulated a sense of Russian identity rooted in cultural, rather than political, nationalism.
Michael Boro Petrovich, The Emergence of Russian Panslavism, 1856-1870: Analyzes the transformation of cultural Slavophilism into a militant political ideology following the Crimean War.
Alexei Miller, The Romanov Empire and Nationalism: Essays in the Methodology of Historical Research: Proposes a situational approach to study how interethnic relations and imperial policy shifted across different regional contexts.
Theodore R. Weeks, Nation and the State in Late Imperial Russia: Nationalism and Russification on the Western Frontier, 1863-1914: Challenges the view of a coordinated Russification policy, arguing instead that the state reacted haphazardly to regional ethnic demands.
Robert Edelman, Gentry Politics on the Eve of the Russian Revolution: The Nationalist Party, 1907-1917: Investigates the Nationalist Party as a modern political interest group representing Gentry concerns and their struggle for control of local Zemstvos.
Eric Lohr, Nationalizing the Russian Empire: The Campaign against Enemy Aliens during World War I: Explores how the First World War allowed the state to adopt aggressive, xenophobic policies against minorities in an attempt to mobilize patriotic support.
Conclusion: Historiographical Comparison: Synthesizes the findings of the six monographs to highlight recurring debates regarding the contradictions of the Romanov Empire's nationality policies.
Keywords
Russian Nationalism, Nationality Policy, Romanov Empire, Slavophilism, Panslavism, Russification, Imperial Russia, Cultural Nationalism, Ethnic Minorities, World War I, Gentry Politics, Historiography, Identity, Political Ideology, State Bureaucracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this historical analysis?
The work focuses on the development of Russian national identity and the government's nationality policies from the aftermath of the Crimean War in 1856 until the collapse of the Romanov dynasty in 1917.
Which central thematic areas are explored in the text?
The core themes include the shift from Slavophile cultural ideas to political Panslavism, the inconsistency of administrative Russification, the emergence of nationalist political parties, and the impact of wartime crises on ethnic minority relations.
What is the primary research goal of the document?
The primary goal is to provide a historiographical synthesis of six major monographs to evaluate how different scholars interpret the rise of Russian nationalism and the state's failures in managing a multinational empire.
What methodological approach does the author employ?
The author uses a comparative historiographical methodology, contrasting the theses and analytical frameworks of six specialized historians to identify where their arguments complement or contradict each other.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section consists of a detailed summary and thematic assessment of six specific books, followed by a comparative conclusion that synthesizes the authors' viewpoints on the nature of Russian imperial power.
Which keywords best characterize this historical study?
Keywords such as Russian Nationalism, Nationality Policy, Slavophilism, Panslavism, and Imperial Russia best encapsulate the scholarly focus of this analysis.
How does the author define the shift in Slavophilism?
The author highlights the transition from a cultural movement aimed at defining a unique "Russian way" during the early 19th century into a militant, politically aggressive ideology of Panslavism following the 1853-56 Crimean War.
What argument is presented regarding the "Russification" policy?
The text, particularly drawing on Miller and Weeks, argues that "Russification" was not a single, coherent, top-down mandate, but rather a series of disconnected, often contradictory regional responses to local ethnic and political pressures.
How did World War I alter the state’s approach to nationalism?
Eric Lohr’s analysis, featured in the text, suggests that World War I acted as a catalyst, allowing the state to mobilize public opinion through the branding of minorities as "enemy aliens," thereby solidifying ethnic distinctions through state-sponsored exclusion and liquidation of foreign-owned assets.
What does the text conclude about the Romanov Empire's identity crisis?
The conclusion suggests that the Romanov Empire remained a victim of its own inability to reconcile its identity as a multinational empire with the rising, exclusionary forces of modern nationalism, ultimately leading to its systemic failure.
- Quote paper
- M.A. Pouyan Shekarloo (Author), 2009, Russian Nationalism, 1856-1917, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/144891
