Struggle of legalists to equalize the rights of Jews with other subjects of the Russian Empire at the end of the XIX – beginning of the XX century

Abstract

In the Russian Empire, the problem of the «Jewish question» existed for a long time. The prevailing theory was about the «badness» of the Jewish people, their deceit, maliciousness and other negative qualities. Since 1880, anti-Semitism has gradually increased. At first it was fueled by the bureaucracy, then it was joined by the local bourgeoisie, and then by its minions, the marginal strata of the cities. Accordingly, after the liberal policies of Alexander II, an attack on the rights of Jews began. Updated anti-Semitic legislation was adopted, and old ones were updated. Hundreds of petty restrictions bound the Jews and hindered their development. Jews began to have a keen sense of their national identity, emigrated, joined socialist parties, corrupted officials, etc. The liberal public was dissatisfied with this government policy. In the public press, in meetings of government bodies, and in correspondence, conservative liberals energetically argued the absurdity of anti-Semitism, the injustice of claims against Jews, and demanded the liberation of the Jews. Accordingly, the subject of our research is the activities of liberal jurists (legalists) of the Russian Empire for the emancipation of Jews. We chose a problem-chronological approach as the main method. By highlighting the «Jewish problem», we trace the chronology of fluctuations in state policy on the Jewish issue and highlight the forms of struggle of legalists for the rights of Jews. This is the first time such a reconstruction has been carried out regarding the legalist movement and contributes to historical knowledge. A number of conclusions can be tentatively formulated. Through the press, liberals created a negative image of anti-Semitic policies. Sitting in meetings and commissions, they prevented the expansion of negative legislation. In the Senate, legalists defended the rights of Jews.