scholarly journals Sensory landscape of the Russian empire in “The Letters from Russia” (1856–1857) by Juan Valera

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 14-22
Author(s):  
Solomiia Rozlutska
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Sound Perception ◽  
Limited Mobility ◽  
Color Palette ◽  
Juan Valera ◽  
Sensory History ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
Basic Features

The article considers new perspectives in working with travel notes as a historical source. Through the careful reading of “The Letters from Russia” (1856-1857) by Spanish diplomat and writer Juan Valera (1824-1905), the article examines the role of sensory impressions and their place in constructing Russia’s image. Particular attention focuses on the analysis of methods and approaches of sensory history. By applying content analysis, it was possible to identify four topics addressed by the Spanish diplomat: colours, tastes, sounds, and smells. Thanks to the interdisciplinary approach, we reconstructed the author’s percep- tion of Russia’s visual and sound landscape, his attitude to the Russian elite’s and the ordinary people’s tastes (food and drinks), the smells that he encountered during the trip. For example, the Russian empire seemed to the Spanish author brilliant, golden and silver, and its sound perception was characterized by the loud sound of local bells and melodic singing of church choirs. At the same time, a Spanish diplomat was openly disappointed with the common people’s food and its smell, and the Russian countryside, in general, seems colourless to him. The Spaniard’s idea of Russia was established under the influence of his native environment and by the St. Petersburg elite. Given the fact that the author spent most of his time in the company of the Russian elite, he managed to recreate Russia’s holistic sensual landscape only in the context of its sounds and smells. In the case of Russian food and colours, readers can observe an unfinished image that only partially reproduces the author’s vision of “folk” and “parade” Russia. For example, due to the author’s limited mobility, the text contains almost no information about the color palette of a Russian city or village. Despite this, the study of these phenomena not only revealed the basic features of the then Russian everyday life but also allowed a better understanding of the personality of Juan Valera and the way of forming his ideas.

“BULYGINSKAYA DUMA”. AGENCY WITHOUT POWER OR POWER OF AGENCY?

2021 ◽  
pp. 32-42
Author(s):  
Sergey S. Novoselskii ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Government Policy ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Public Figures ◽  
State Administration ◽  
Intellectual Context ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Russian Empire

The article considers the attitude of representatives of the top bureaucracy to the draft of the State Duma, developed by a Special Council chaired by the Minister of the Interior A.G. Bulygin in 1905. Particular attention is paid to the high officials assessments of the dignitaries of the place and role of the Duma in the system of state administration of the Russian Empire, the arguments that officials cited in favor of its convocation. It analyzes intellectual context of the emergence of the “bulyginskaya duma” (“Bulygin Duma”) project is analyzed, which largely determined the breadth of the actual, not declared powers of the people’s agency. The research is based on unpublished documents from the funds of state institutions, as well as materials from the personal funds of officials and public figures. The article shows that, despite the legislative nature of the Duma, it had to have significant powers. The electoral system, which was proposed and defended by the high officials, was originally modeled in such a way as to avoid the triumph of the estates principle. The monarch’s open opposition to the people’s agency was considered a politically short-sighted move, which indicated a limitation of his power. The results of the study allow considering the government policy in 1905 not as an untimely response to public demands, but as a conscious strategy for systemic political reforms.

scholarly journals “Honeymoon” of the Russian Empire and the United States during WWI

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-292
Author(s):  
Victoria I. Zhuravleva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
The United States ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Liberal Internationalism ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Soviet Russia ◽  
The Russian Empire

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).

scholarly journals Activities of Military Topographers in Western Siberia in Foreign and Domestic Policy of the Russian Empire in 19th Century

2020 ◽  
pp. 360-374
Author(s):  
Evgeny V. Igumnov
Keyword(s):  
Western Siberia ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
The State ◽  
River Channels ◽  
The North ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Military

The activities of military topographers in Western Siberia to provide cartographic information on the foreign and domestic policies of the Russian Empire in Central Asia and Siberia in the 19th century are considered in the article. The role of information in the formation of the Russian Empire is emphasized. The contribution of the state to the organization of the study of the Asian regions of Russia and neighboring countries is noted. The establishment of the military topographic service in Western Siberia can be traced taking into account data on administrative transformations in the Siberian region, and on changes in the foreign policy of the Russian Empire. The participation of military topographers in determining and designating the state border with China is described in detail. The question of the role of military topographers in the scientific study of China and Mongolia is raised. The significance of the activities of military topographers for the policy of the Russian Empire on the socio-economic development of Siberia and the north-eastern part of the territory of modern Kazakhstan is revealed. The contribution of topographers to the construction of the Trans-Siberian railway, the design of river channels and new land routes is revealed. A large amount of literary sources, materials on the work of military topographers of Western Siberia, published in “Notes of the Military Topographic Department of the General Staff” is used in the article.

scholarly journals “I am a Soldier; I Have Never Meddled in Politics and Do Not Meddle Now”: General A. E. Evert and the February Revolution

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sergey Sergushkin
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
The Political ◽  
Western Front ◽  
Constituent Assembly ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
Military Control ◽  
Commander In Chief ◽  
Constitutional Monarchy

The article focuses on the role of A. E. Evert, the commander-in-chief of the armies of the Western Front, in the events of the February Revolution. Russia's top military leadership took a consolidated position on the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II from the throne, but the unity regarding the fate of the Empire's future was only an appearance. This is made clear through a detailed examination of the decisions made by Evert during the last crucial days for the Russian Empire and of his motives. The author pays particular attention to the period after the emperor’s abdication when, in the political vacuum, the commander-in-chief of the armies of the Western Front changed his line of conduct and proposed the bold project of transferring the country's real political power under military control. The methodological basis of this study is the principles of historicism, systematicity and scientific objectivity, while also using the comparative and historical-genetic methods.  Evert considered the constitutional monarchy with Mikhail Alexandrovich on the throne as a worthy alternative to the forceful suppression of the revolution in the rear, which cannot be said about his view on the Provisional Government and the prospect of elections to the Constituent Assembly during the war. In this regard, the commander-in-chief of the armies of the Western Front hoped, with the support of his colleagues, to impose his will on the rebellious capital. However, his project did not receive the necessary support, and his disloyalty to the Provisional Government led to his early resignation.

scholarly journals Model of training bilingual teachers for the Eastern part of the Russian Empire (experience of historical analysis)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Р.Р. Исхакова ◽  
А.К. Садыкова
Keyword(s):  
Bilingual Education ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Bilingual Teachers ◽  
Bilingual Teacher ◽  
Cultural Processes ◽  
New Type ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
The Russian Empire

Актуальность статьи заключается в исследовании исторического потенциала системы билингвального образования, сложившейся в России в 80-е гг. XIX- нач. XX вв. в восточной части Российской империи. Цель статьи – выявить основные факторы, повлиявшие на формирование концепции двуязычного образования, создать теоретическую модель подготовки учителей-билингвалов; выявить социокультурное и социолингвистическое значение этой системы. Выявлены основные элементы этой модели; проведена их классификация. Определена роль видного педагога и миссионера Н.И. Ильминского в формировании концепции билингвального образования учителей нового типа. Предложена компетентностная характеристика учителя-билингвала; раскрыто значение учителей этого типа в развитии начального образования для нерусского населения восточных окраин России и в формировании этнокультурных процессов в регионе. The relevance of the article lies in the analysis of the historical potential of the system of bilingual education that developed in Russia in the 80-s of the XIX-beginning. XX centuries in the Eastern part of the Russian Empire. The purpose of the article is to identify the main factors that influenced the formation of the concept of bilingual education, to create a theoretical model for the training of bilingual teachers; to identify the socio-cultural and socio-linguistic significance of this system. The main elements of this model are identified and their classification is carried out. The role of a prominent teacher and missionary N.I. Ilminsky in the formation of the concept of bilingual education of teachers of a new type is determined. A competence characteristic of a bilingual teacher is proposed, and the importance of this type of teacher in the development of primary education for the non-Russian population of the Eastern suburbs of Russia and in the formation of ethno-cultural processes in the region is revealed.

Dreams of a Boreal Empire, Nightmares of a Polar Vortex

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Schwoch
Keyword(s):  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Smithsonian Institution ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Central Theme ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
Scientific Team

This chapter discusses the failed efforts of the government, military, and Western Union to build a telegraph route in the 1860s across Alaska, beneath the Bering Strait, and into Europe via the Russian Empire. One central theme is the role of Robert Kennicott and the Smithsonian Institution as a scientific team of natural historians participating in this expedition. The ambiguous corporate-military entanglements of expedition members raises questions about whether the expedition was also some sort of occupying force on the ground in Russian Alaska prior to the Alaska Purchase in 1867.

Ukrainian assistance to refugees during the First World War1

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liubov Zhvanko ◽  
Oleksiy Nestulya
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Governmental Regulation ◽  
Peace Negotiations ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
First World

The Ukrainian lands became an epicentre of the movement of refugees who were assisted by a range of organisations. This chapter considers the role of governmental bodies in the Russian Empire and the new entities that appeared on Ukrainian territory following the February 1917 Revolution: the Ukrainian Central Rada, and the Ukrainian National Republic (UNR). It discusses the developing framework and implementation of public policy in relation to refugees, the activity of local government and non-governmental organisations which supported refugees. The chapter considers refugees’ life in Ukraine in 1914-18. During the peace negotiations in Brest-Litovsk in February 1918, Ukrainian delegates took the initiative in organizing the re-evacuation of refugees; the agreement between Ukraine and Austro- Hungarian, German, Polish and Russian representatives concerning repatriation was an early example of inter-governmental regulation of a new humanitarian problem.

The Image of a Russian Writer in Magazine Caricatures of the Silver Age

2021 ◽  
pp. 342-356
Author(s):  
Elena S. Sonina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Russian Literature ◽  
Russian Empire ◽  
Silver Age ◽  
Russian Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
Printed Word

Due to the literary-centric nature of Russian culture and the performance of the functions of civil society by the printed word, the role of the writer in the history of Russian literature and journalism of the Russian Empire was traditionally high. Therefore, satirical graphics constantly turned to the image of the Russian writer. The study compares the methods of depicting writers in the 19th and early 20th centuries and isolates the traditions of referring to the literary past and present. Caricature in connection with new trends in literature showed writers in the role of heroes of low and elite cultures, “tramps” (bossjaki) and modernists.

The Introduction of Playing Cards and Card Playing in Russia

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-376
Author(s):  
Vyacheslav V. Shevtsov
Keyword(s):  
Russian Empire ◽  
Literary Works ◽  
Modern Culture ◽  
The Russian Empire ◽  
Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines when and how playing cards were introduced in Russia and links the adoption of card playing in the Russian Empire to the process of Westernization in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The author examines the role of card playing in noble culture and in the context of wider historical problems: the transition from medieval to modern culture; the translation and perception of cultural novelties; and the relationship cards and card playing had with other forms of celebration and leisure. The article is based on various sources, including Russian laws, import-export (customs) records, private sources in noble family archives, and literary works.

Gaspirali v. Il'Minskii: Two Identity Projects for the Muslims of the Russian Empire

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Özgür Tuna
Keyword(s):  
Russian Empire ◽  
Russian Orthodox ◽  
Literary Language ◽  
Islamic Studies ◽  
The Past ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
The Russian Empire

In 1913, an article in a Russian missionary journal compared two “very typical representatives” of Islamic studies in Russia: İsmail Bey Gaspıralı (1851–1914) and Nikolai Ivanovich Il'minskii (1822–1891). Nothing could better symbolize the two opposing points of view about the past, present and future of the Muslims of Russia in 1913. Il'minskii was a Russian Orthodox missionary whose ideas and efforts had formed the imperial perceptions and policies about the Muslims of the Russian empire in the late Tsarist period, while Gaspıralı was a Muslim educator and publisher whose ideas and efforts had shaped the Muslim society per se in the same period. Il'minskii, beginning in the 1860s, and Gaspıralı, beginning in the 1880s, developed two formally similar but inherently contradictory programs for the Muslims of the Russian empire. Schooling and the creation of a literary language or literary languages constituted the hearts of both of their programs. Besides their own efforts, both Gaspıralı and Il'minskii had a large number of followers that diligently worked to put their programs into practice among the Muslims of Russia. As a result of the inherent contradiction of these programs, a bitter controversy developed between what we may call the Il'minskii and Gaspıralı groups, which particularly intensified after the revolution of 1905. In this article, I will discuss the underlying causes and development of this controversy by focusing on the role of language in the programs of Gaspıralı and Il'minskii. Then, I will conclude my article with an evaluation of the legacies of these two individuals in their own time and beyond.

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