The Russification

How many ethnic groups made up the Russian Empire

The Russian Empire is comprised of over 100 ethnic groups with a range of cultures, languages and religions

When did the census take place and what did it determine?

It took place in 1897 and it determined that the Great Russians made up 44% of the population

What did the Great Russians claimed and therefore what did this mean?

The Great Russians claimed to be the dominant group and had a paramount of influence over politics, meaning they occupied most of the important roles within the bureaucracy and military services.

What did the authorities in St Petersburg make clear by the late 19th hundreds?

By the late 19th century the authorities in St Petersburg made it clear that they wanted to preserve the hegemony on the Great Russians and even increase their influence by reducing the minorities cultural and political autonomy.

What was part of the reason as to why Tsar Alexander III & Tsar Nicholas II embarked on a ruthless policy of Russification?

• They embarked on a ruthless policy of Russification partly for reasons of security.

• They believed that if they could unite the minorities under 1 culture and language they would be less of a threat during times of war.

• This is because the Russification would make minorities feel and act Russian.

• This means that that the minorities would be less likely to aid & sympathise with a country if they feel they have no cultural ties to it.

What did the Tsar fear?

He feared that these special rights and privileges (cultural and political) enjoyed by the minorities would be a model for other minorities of which national consciousness was taking place.

• more political & cultural independence→ less of a unitary state→deduction of the Tsars power.

How were the Jews mistreated?

• Forced to live in one region, In the western & southwestern provinces known as the Pale of Settlement.

• Almost excluded from the bureaucracy of the Russian e.g Russian Orthodox Church.

• Had to pay special taxes

What taxes did Jews have to pay

Candle tax

• Tax on kosher meat and Sabbath candles that Jews paid to their communal institutions, originally sanctioned by the government. Even though it was technically a communal tax, it became state-controlled and was seen as a “Jewish tax”.

Occupational license fees

• Jews were often barred from agricultural landholding and many professions, but those permitted to engage in trade or handicrafts faced higher license fees or guild membership taxes than Christias.

What is one of the main reasons as to why the Jews faced discrimination?

People believed that the Jews were marked with inner vices.