Tsarist Policy in Relation to the Ethnic Regions of Russia in XVI–XIX Centuries

Abstract

The paper features the policy of the royal government of Russia towards ethnic regions. There are different views on these regions in modern historiography. The ambiguous situation is primarily due to the fact that progressive single-nation states and ethnic regions were studied without taking into account the general historical situation. The present research was based on the assumption that multi-ethnic countries have a great development potential. From the XVI century on, the authorities were aware of the ethnic differences between the Russians and the population of the new territories. However, they did not perceive ethnicity as the main social marker. The social criteria chosen by the authorities included religion, class, and place of residence, i. e. they were of supranational character. The author believes that the heterogeneous policy of Tsarist Russia towards ethnic provinces, lacking as it was, ensured the viability of the state and contributed to the gradual integration of various ethnicities.