Russia Takes Shape: Patterns of Integration from the Middle Ages to the Present by Sergei s> Bogatyrev (review)

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REVIEWS I57 Bogatyrev, Sergei (ed.). RussiaTakesShape: Patterns of Integration fromtheMiddle Agesto thePresent. Suomalaisen Tiedeakatmian Toimituksia Humaniora, 335. Annales Academiae Scientiarum Fennicae, Helsinki, 2005. 289 pp. Maps. Tables. Illustrations.Notes. Index. E36.oo (paperback). REGIONAL history in Russia is a field fraughtwith problems of definition and methodology. Here, Sergei Bogatyrevbrings together articlesbound together around the theme of 'glocalism', an approach combining the global and the local, from an internationalgroup of seven scholars. The intention is to 'examine various aspects of regional history in the context of the cultural, administrative, ideological and economical relations between the local communities and the central authorities'(p. 268). The resultis an impressive array of scholarly work of the highest standard, exploring a wide range of themes. FromJulia Korpela there is a study of the role of saints in the integration of Muscovite lands. The Russian Church, she argues, benefited from the spreadof Muscovite power, and willinglyco-operated in legitimizing it through a mythology based on the holy mission of the 'thirdRome'. Thus, those rulers and hierarchs credited with consolidating the power of this Christian state would be canonized, even if their stories had to be entirely divorced from historical facts. Useful, if perhaps entirely fictitious saints would be found among monasteriessponsoredby Moscow in the far north to legitimize Muscovite rule there. National heroes were establishedwhich could indeed be potent symbols of Russian identity even under Stalin and after. Bogatyrevdiscusseshow Moscow integratednewly acquiredlands through its recruitment of local elites into its administrativesystem. He argues that in exchange for loyal service, local elites 'received from the centre support for their high status in local communities and prospects for better access to the patronage resources in the capital' (p. I03). The resultingsystem proved surprisinglydurable, surviving the Oprichnina and Time of Troubles alike. From G. V. Ibneyeva comes a study of Catherine II's visit to the Baltic lands in I764. The visit helped Catherine impose her authority on the region, and she received fulsome assurances of faithfulnessfrom the German local nobility. But the visit also convinced her that the autonomy enjoyed by that nobility needed to be curtailed they were determined and systematic in defence of their privileges and power. The resulting political conflict, while superficiallyconcerned with defining and protecting the rights of the peasantry was, in reality, an assault on the autonomy of the Baltic nobility, and integrationwould be the set policy of the reign. Arto Luukkanenemploys recently opened archives of the OGPU, from 1922 to I934, to examine the threatsthe Soviet leadershipperceived to their rule from the peasantry.What is found is 'more a reflection of the fears of the ruling elite than an accurate depiction of the reality of the time' (p. i66). The Soviet leaders feared a spontaneous rising, and they were also obsessed with beliefs that they faced a well-led, confident, organized and determined enemy. By 1926, relations between the Party and the peasantry were so strained that the leadership were already moving towards a coercive and violent solution to the agrarian question. Pekka Kauppala examines the woeful impact of the extraction of primary resources from the far north since the twentieth century. In a wide-ranging 158 SEER, 85, I, 2007 survey,it is found that the indigenouspeoples are not sharingin the enormous wealth generated from their regions. But the impact of Moscow's policies has been uneven. Thus oil extraction has reduced many Mansi to a 'passive population addicted to alcohol and living on compensation'(p. 229), while the smaller Forest Nenets living alongside them play a leading role in resisting outside exploitation -they have retained more of their traditional culture and economy: a reflectionof the differentcompromisesmade between central power and local elites in differing circumstances. Finally Hanna Smith examines Russian foreign policy in the period I992 to 2002, discussing how the Chechen wars affected Russian attempts to integrate into the world economy through membership of various international organizations. Surprisingly, perhaps, the Chechen conflict has been a positive asset in integratingRussia into the internationalcommunity. If readersfind the term 'glocalism'grating, it is only used in the introduction . Also, Smith's article does not perhaps fit easily with the others. But for those scholars with a reasonable background in the field, this...