Russian Minorities


Figure 1.--

The concept of minorities in Russia is rather complicated. Russia until the demise of the Soviet Union was the center of a huge multi-ethnic empire. In most empires (Persian, Roman, Ottoman, Austrian, British), the dominnt group is a minority ruling over a much larger group of subject peoples. In some empires (Chinese and Russian), the dominant group is a larger population than the people ruled. The concept of minorities in an empire is somewhat complicated. Many peoples (Estonians, Georgians, Finns, Latvians, Lithuanins, Poles, kraniansin, and many others) in the Russian Empire were minorities compared to to the population of the Great Russians. Some like the Poles and Ukranians shared ethnic Slavic afinity. They were not, hoever, minorities in the regions they lived, unless they emigrated to Russia itself. Thus these are not true minorities and we discuss them under Russian regions are in their own separte country page. There were, however, also several minorities living in Russia there were not only minorities to the Reussians, but also to the dominant populion of the local area. Such minorities include: Cossacks, Germans , Gypseys, jews, and others.

Cossacks

There are many legendary figures in Cossack history. One of the most famous is Yermack who in the 16th century led the Cossocks into Siberia, fighting indigenous tribes. Bogdan in the 17th century was the scourge of the Poles, avening the murder of his son and mistress. Stenka Razin terrorized the Turks. Other Cossacks like Mazeppa and Pugachev, threatened the Tsarist throne. The Cossacks are perhaps best known for effectively harassed Napoleon's Grande Armée as it retreated from Moscow after the 1812 invasion. The retreat began as an orderly withdrawl back to Warsaw and supplies prepositioned in Poland. The Cossacks who by the 19th century were the main element in the Tsarist calvary, began to prey on stranglers and the long drawn out French line of retreat. Gradually the Cossacks and Russian Army turned the Grande Armée into fleeing rabel. Napoleon himself escaped. His Army was virtually destroyed. Napoleon called them "a disgrace to the human race". The Cossacks took no prisionors and robbed the dead and dying. French soldiers referred to them as the "vultures of the battlefield". The Cossacks played a role in the Great Game, the contest between Russia and Britain over Central Russia. In the Russian Revolution, many Cossacks supported the Tsar but were suppressed by the Red Army. They were percecuted by Stalin in the 1930s. Some fought with the Germans and were either killed in the War or by Stlain after the War.

Germans

Catherine the Great (herself a German princess) invited German farmers to settle in Russia and they have been there ever since. Catharine invited German farmers to settle lands that were empty after the Seven Years War (1763). They were not only offered the land, but also a whole list of privileges. They could continue living as Germans in their own communities, being Lutherans, Mennonites or Catholics in an Orthodox country. They also were exempt from military service and did not have to pay taxes. No wonder that thousands of poor German farmers went to Russia. They established colonies along the Volga, but also near Odessa, on the Crimea, in Wolhynia and even in the Caucasus mountains. They were loosing their privileges under Czar Alexander II in the 1860s and many emigrated to Canada and the United States, especially the Mennonites. But about 2 million stayed in Russia, also when it became the Soviet Union. Many of the Russian Germans were Mennonites who started emigrating to Canada and the United States at the end of the 20th century when the Tsar wanted to draft them into his armies. (The Mennonites do not bear arms). Originally the Mennonites were a Dutch protestant sect, founded by Menno Simons in 1536. Many of them went to build dikes and polders in the Vistula Delta around Danzig (Gdansk) and became Germanized. From there they went to Poland and Russia. I do not yet have a great deal of information on the Volga Germans. They appear to have been prosperous, both because of their industriouness and the rich land they farmed. Many were deeply religious ( Mennonites). I do not know how they fared after the Revolution. There land does not seem to have been colletivizd. They do not appear to have been heavily politicized. Unlike some Volksesdeutsche like the Seudeten Germans, there does not seem to have been any significant support for the NAZIs, in part because of their strong religious believes. A reader writes, "The Volga Germans actually had more contact with relatives and friends in Canada and Kansas than in Germany. They were not interested in going to Germany, because they were prosperous and had no use for the NAZIs." [Stueck] Stalin doubted their loyalty, on both ethnic and religious grounds. After NAZI Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin deported the Volsdeutsche to Siberia and Kasakhstan, where about 1 million ethnic Germans still live. They lost their once prosperous villages and farms were confiscated and divided into kolchozes. It is estimated that about 1 Million Volga Germans now are living in Kazakhstan where the soil is not nearly as good as along the Volga. Every month thousands of Russian Germans are moving to Germany where they are granted citizenship immediately on account of their heritage. Some of them don't speak German anymore and they have to prove that they are of German descent. Yugoslavia

Gypseys

Russia like other European countries had a population of Gypsies or Roma as they preper to call themselves. This was the case in Tsarist Russia, especially as Russia expanded into Poland and toward the Balkans. Gypsies are strongly associated with Romania and Russia ecentually acquired Moldavia, a province also claimed by Romania. The countries in which the Gypsies lived passed a range of measure designed to control or assimilate the Gypsies. They were often drafted into the army and forbidden to speal Roma. Catherine the Great duringbthe 18th century approved laws which made Gypsies slaves of the Crown. [Clébert, p. 74] One author describes the Gypsies of the era, "In their dress, they lavish all their finery upon their heads. Their costume in Russia is very different to that of the natives. The Russians hold them in great contempt; never speaking of them without abuse; and feel themselves contaminated by their touch, unless it be to have their fortunes told. Formerly they were more scattered over Russia, and paid no tribute; but now they are collected, and all belong to one nobleman, to whom they pay a certain tribute, and work among the number of his slaves" [Clark, p. 208.] Gypsies are a wandering people and as nation states became increasingly strong, Gysies tended to take on the customs and folklore of the countries where they lived. This was especially true as movement accross national borders became increasingly complicated. The Gupsies tended, however, to blend national culture and folklore with their own rich culture. I'm not sure what happened to Russian Gypsies during the Soviet era. In addition, many Russian Gypsies lived in the Eastern and Southern areas overan by the NAZIs in World War II and may perished in the Holocaust. I have few details at this time.

Jews

Christians for centuries after the fall of Rome (5th century AD) gererally tollerated and coexisted with Jews and anti-Semetic eruptions were limited. At this time there were very few Jews living in Eastern Europe. Beginning with the Crusades (11th century) this began to change. Anti-Semetic laws, vicious programs, and expullsions spread in waves over Western Europe. European Jews fleeing the oppression of Roman Catholic Western Europe moved east to Polandand other Eastern Ruropean states. The Tsars did not tolerate Jews within their empires and as Muscovy expanded their were mass killings in newly acquired cities. The Tsar adopted an openly ant-Semetic policy (1721). Areas conquered by the Russian Army were cleared of Jews, such as the Ukraine (1727). This was normally done with great brutality. Ironically the Jews of Greater Russia developed into the largest and most important Jewish community in the world. This was in large measure the result of the Polish Partitions (1772-95) and the incorporation of Poland into the Tsarist Empire. Russian Jewery became the heart of the Jewish world and the origins of the Zionist movement. The opressive policies of the Tsars also lead many Jes to embrace socialism and revoutionary politics. As many as 5 million Jews are believed to have lived in Russia before World War I and the Revolution. Jews played a oprominant role in the Revolution and Bolshevik movement. Tsarist Russia became the Soviet Union and finally the Confederation of Independent States (CIS) with a deminished, but still very sizeable Jewish population. Rome

Tartars

The Tatar people in the Soviet Union were the Turkic tribes that burst upon China, the Middle East, and Europe under Ghengiss Kahn during the Middle Ages. The Mongols under Batu Khan conquered the Slavs in Russia and the Ukraine (1237). The Mongol Empire at the time stretched from the Poland to Chins and the Black Sea to Siberia. After the death of Genghis, the Mongol Empire broke up. The Mongol rulers were came from the 'Golden Family' of Genghis. Genghis' granson Batu Khan, advanced far into eastern Europe and established in 1251 the rule of the Golden Horde in Russia (1251). This had a huge impact on Russia as it essentislly separated Russia culturaly from Europe. Alexander Newski in the north around Novgorod managed to retain a degree of autonomy. The Mongols used to collect tribute from the Russians. Thius would be the foundation of the Tsarist state. The Golden Horde was finally broken up by Timur to form three Tartar khanates: Kazan, Astrakhan and the Crimea. The Soviet Tartars descenced from the Golden Horde. The Tartats coverted to Islam (14th century). The Russians broke the Mongol-Tatar yoke (1480). Tsar Ivan IV conquered the two great Tatar khanates of Kazan (1552) and Astrakhan (1556). Tsarina Katherine finally conquered the the Crimean Khanate (1783). Katherine saw Islam as a more suitable religion than Orthodox Christianity for civilizing her Asian conquests. The Volga Tatars became the leaders of Russian Islam and and played an important role in the development of the Russian Empire’s backward Asian regions. As a result, a prosperous Tatar merchant class developed in the Tsarist Empite. There was a notable level of urbanization and assimilation as well as a diaspora throughout the Empire. There was fierce fighting in Tartar areas during the Russian Civil War. The Bolsheviks finally prevailed in what might be called Tataria. The Bolsheviks established the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1920).







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Last updated: 11:48 PM 1/28/2008
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