Is Russification an outdated or modern concept? What is Russification

The term "Russification" is often found in domestic and foreign media. This concept is perceived in different ways. Some believe that the general knowledge of the Russian language is an absolute achievement. Others remain at the opinion that Russification is an absolute evil. So what's the truth?

Formation of the empire

It should be noted that before the beginning of the 19th century, the problem of Russification did not exist as such. The Russian empire was only getting on its feet, and its main task was to secure its own borders at long ranges. The peoples who accepted the citizenship of the Russian Tsar, and the officials who directed them, existed as if in two different planes.

Intersections of these two layers of the population practically did not occur. Only after the establishment of complete control over the annexed territories did the policy of Russification appear. The administration of Alexander I undertook not only for wallets, but also for the minds of the affiliated peoples, offering them their language, their faith and their culture.

The first attempts at Russification

At first, the heads of administrations sharply limited the share of the local population in government bodies. It was not allowed to use ancestral languages in business and commercial correspondence, schools that taught in native languages were closed, church books were missing, in which there was no Slavonic text. In areas where other religions dominated, the spread of Orthodox Christianity was encouraged. In Poland and Belarus, Catholics were forbidden to hold public office, to be journalists, teachers, publishers. The phrase of the most active supporter of Russification in the tsarist administration of Count Muravyov is widely known: "All that the bayonets have not completed, the priests, officials and schools will complete."

Gradually Russian officials and local people assimilated, Russification took place. This word meant the power of Russian-language information and culture to the detriment of local traditions and languages. The natives of the well-off strata of the population tried to keep their warm bureaucratic place for their children or offer them a career growth. All this was impossible without the knowledge of the Russian language, which was usually conducted office work.

This was the way to Russification of Russia. So the Russian language and the Russian mentality supplanted the national consciousness of representatives of other peoples.

Russification in the Soviet Union

At the dawn of the formation of the Soviet government, an active struggle against the general illiteracy was conducted. The Bolsheviks paid special attention to education, and this mainly concerned children and adolescents. All children should receive secondary education, and the main language of communication became Russian. The problem of the revival of national languages and cultures was very cautious, practically stopped during the war. But during the so-called thaw, the revival of national cultures was given more and more time.

Russification today

At present, the meaning of the term "Russification" has practically been revised. This concept today should mean familiarization with Russian culture and its rich heritage. After all, no one denies that the Russian language currently has international significance. At the same time, it is impossible to ignore the process of developing national self-identification of the peoples inhabiting Russia, and not pay attention to the development of their cultures.