The legal status of the Jewish population in Russia: a political and analytical review (the late 18th – early 20th centuries)

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The problem of mythologising the history of Russia in the context of the thesis “prison of the peoples” remains topical in the context of the modern information warfare of civilisational opponents. An attempt to implant in the public consciousness a myth about the exclusively discriminatory nature of the imperial nationality policy, in particular, on the Jewish question, prevents from objective examination of the ongoing processes. The article analyses the main tendencies of the state policy towards Jewish subjects of the Russian Empire during the reign of four emperors – Alexander I, Nicholas I, Alexander II and Nicholas II. The work used various sources, materials and research. The article provides a general overview of historiography on the problem, and also examines the creation of the Pale of Settlement, measures in the field of restricting the civil rights of the Jewish population and education. The authors come to the conclusion that the policy of the Russian Empire in the Jewish question was not anti-Semitic, although it was ambiguous and, at times, contradictory. At the same time, restrictive measures did not apply to the religious and ritual-cult side of the life of the Jews. The historical and factual basis of the publication helps to understand the building of civilised relations in the environment of Russian society, which is represented by different cultures and religions.