North Caucasian Muslim Clergy between the February and October Revolutions of 1917

Abstract

The article examines the activities of the Muslim clergy of the North Caucasus in the period between the February and October revolutions of 1917, i. e. of a social group that was at the forefront of political processes in the region. The social boundaries of this group and its role in the life of the peoples of the region of the period under consideration are substantiated. The initiatives of the Muslim clergy concerning changes in the social life of the North Caucasian society are analysed. The evolution of its political line is traced from close interaction with the national intelligentsia, characteristic of the spring of 1917, to claims to the fullness of political power, clearly defined by the summer of 1917. Attention is paid to attempts to implement the idea of creating a theocratic state in the North Caucasus. The lack of political unity among the Muslim clergy is emphasized, the reasons for the deepening of contradictions in the period following the October Revolution of 1917 are explained. The role of this social group in the political processes in the North Caucasus between the February and October revolutions of 1917 is assessed.