Mass Deportations, Ethnic Cleansing, and Genocidal Politics in the Later Russian Empire and the USSR

Author(s):  
Nicolas Werth

Between the middle of the nineteenth century and the middle of the twentieth, the immense areas of the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union saw some extreme forms of state violence, though of course, in very different historical contexts. This article addresses the main specificities of the great episodes of deportation and ethnic cleansing in the later Russian Empire and in the Soviet Union, as well as an immense event that remained completely hidden for more than half a century, the ‘man-made famines’ of the early 1930s. It also discusses the applicability or otherwise of the word ‘genocide’ to the Ukrainian famine of 1932–3 and the deportation of the ‘punished peoples’ from 1941–4.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-292
Author(s):  
Victoria I. Zhuravleva ◽  

The article focuses on the debatable issues of Russian-American relations from 1914 until the fall of Tsarism, such as the degree of the two countries’ rapprochement, ethnic questions, the positive dynamics of mutual images and the intensified process of Russians and Americans studying each other. Based on primary and secondary sources, this work intends to emphasize that the conflict element in bilateral relations did not hamper cooperation between the two states. The author’s multipronged and interdisciplinary approach allowed her to conclude that the United Sates was ready to engage in wide-ranging interaction with the Russian Empire regardless of their ideological differences. From the author’s point of view, it was the pragmatic agenda that aided the states’ mutual interest in destroying the stereotypes of their counterpart and stimulated Russian Studies in the US and American Studies in Russia. Therefore, the “honeymoon” between the two states had started long before the 1917 February Revolution. However, Wilson strove to turn Russia not so much into an object of US’ “dollar diplomacy”, but into a destination of its “crusade” for democracy. The collapse of the monarchy provided an additional impetus for liberal internationalism by integrating the Russian “Other” into US foreign policy. Ultimately, an ideological (value-based) approach emerged as a stable trend in structuring America’s attitude toward Russia (be it the Soviet Union or post-Soviet Russia).


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-152
Author(s):  
K.A. Bochaver

The review reveals the content and the directions of the non-fiction book written by a professor Basilova; this book is written about the history of teaching deaf-blind children in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and modern Russia. The problems of scientific and methodological supporting the deafblind children are described through the prism of a working career of the three famous domestic speech pathologists and psychologists: Ivan Sokoliansky, Augusta Yarmolenko and Alexander Meshcheryakov.


Author(s):  
Ol’ga A. Pylova ◽  

The article focuses on the emigration of Ukrainians to the US and the formation of a Ukrainian diaspora there. Emigration from ethnic Ukrainian territories began at the end of the nineteenth century and has continued to the present day. The generally accepted periodisation considers five waves of emigration (before 1914, 1914–1945, 1945–1986, 1986–2014 and after 2014) and therefore five stages of the diaspora formation. As the study shows, the stages or waves of emigration from Ukraine largely coincide with the migration processes in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and finally in the post-Sovi- et space, but there are also a number of differences that need to be understood. The diaspora issues were often linked to issues of emigrant self-determination, identity formation as well as the policies of the recipient state. Political, social, educational and other organisations have been formed within the diaspora over the course of its existence, with the diaspora institutionalisation pro- cesses varying according to the specific historical period. In the context of the continuation of the next stage of Ukrainian emigration to the United States and the evolution of the diaspora today, a historical and genetic study of the transmigration of Ukrainians overseas and the formation of diaspora structures acquires particular relevance.


1996 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. 317-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARI LIUHTO

This article analyses the transition of the Estonian enterprise sector in the twentieth century. The starting shot was first fired for the transformation of the Estonian enterprise sector when the country gained its independence from the Russian Empire in 1918. The independence was followed by a 20-year-long transformation of the enterprise sector, which was, however, ended by the Estonian annexation to the Soviet Union in 1939. The incorporation of Estonia to the Soviet Union signified the beginning of a completely reverse transformation. The third important period of transformation in the Estonian enterprise sector began at the end of 1991 when Estonia separated from the disintegrating Soviet Union. The purpose of this article is to describe these periods mentioned above and draw a summarized comparison between the first and the present transformation. Integrating a historical approach to this contemporary transformation may facilitate in comprehending the present trends of development and even predict the future.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document