ПОЛІТИКА РОСІЙСЬКОЇ ІМПЕРІЇ ЩОДО МОВ КОРІННИХ НАРОДІВ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЇ ТА ПІВНІЧНОЇ ЄВРОПИ (ХІХ – ПОЧАТОК ХХ СТОЛІТТЯ)

Abstract

The article delivers the linguistic policy of the Russian empire towards the native peoples of Central and Northern Europe during the 19th – early 20th cc. It surveys the Russian policy towards the Polish, Lithuanian, Belorussian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Latvian, Estonian and Finnish languages in the broad historical context. The author compares the Russian imperial linguistic policy with those pursued by other states of the period, including the United Kingdom, France and Habsburg monarchy. It is stated that the main specific feature of the Russian linguistic policy was its selectivity. For example, while the Ukrainian and, to some extent, Romanian languages were subjected to severe restrictions, the Finnish enjoyed relative freedom. Depending on political situation, activity of local national movements, potential for ethnic conflicts etc., the imperial policy of russification could be either slowed down or intensified in some regions. However, its main goal – the expansion of the Russian language as a component of the dominant ideological doctrine “Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality” remained unchangeable. To achieve this goal, the imperial authorities took different measures to reduce the social prestige of the native population’s languages, drove them out from the administrative and educational spheres, marginalized publishing activities etc. Thus, this restrictive policy achieved effect only in the short-term perspective.