Does the Russian Cossacks have a future?
More than two decades have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. New states emerged on its territory, among which Russia is one of the most important places. The changes that have occurred in the state during this time have given reason to hope for the solution of old problems. One of the most significant was the problem of the Cossacks, since society was waiting for the restoration of the rights of this primordially Russian institution of self-government of the people.
It should be noted that the birth of this historical, ethnic and social layer occurred as far back as the fourteenth century on a large territory between Russia, Lithuania, Poland and the Tatar khanates. Cossacks emerged as a universal type of troops as a result of the unification of various nationalities that were forced to wage constant wars after the collapse of the Golden Horde. The Cossacks were divided into two categories: some were servants, others free. As for the Russian free Cossacks, it originally appeared on the Don, and later on the banks of the Dnieper, Volga, Terek and Yaik.
Life in the conditions of the endless steppes was also determined by the Cossacks. The main type of management they had was fishing, animal husbandry and hunting. Great importance in the life of the Cossacks was given to the war, since it was in many respects that military spoil depended on it. And what was possible to seize during military campaigns, became the common property of the whole community.
The Cossacks were considered to be excellent riders, and the Cossack cavalry was recognized as the best light cavalry, which became famous in the years of numerous wars.
In our time, the situation with the Cossacks is ambiguous. The revival of the Cossack class of many real Cossacks took them by surprise. On the one hand, they liked the idea itself, but on the other ...
Historically, since its inception, the Cossacks occupied a certain place in the organization of the state, and now there are no analogues in the new conditions.
As expected, the Cossack project was to serve as a sort of propaganda trump card for liberal forces. But, as it often happens, there was a failure - the people who had Cossack ranks treated him much more seriously than was calculated. The new-found independence, which was deprived of the national component, the tools for the protection of the national interests of the state aroused a heightened interest in the Russian Cossacks, which always defended the people's hopes and aspirations. But, instead of creating a capable force, there is an imitation of not only the old organizational forms and the desire for external similarity, but also the desire of leaders to become monopolists, which leads to disappointment in such strength.
Tragically events that occurred on historical territories of Cossack troops in the North Caucasus caused losses among the Russian people. They did not bypass the representatives of the Cossack estate. The state was unable to stop the terror against the population living in the territories of the Terek Cossacks, which entailed huge human, material and territorial losses.
It should be noted that the existing organizational forms of the Cossacks are powerless to do anything to prevent threats to the national interests of the state in general and the Cossack class in particular. Thus, the Cossacks eventually lost their lands. Meanwhile, the Cossacks are closely connected with the Russian people, their interests are closely intersected with the interests of the rest of the population. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Cossacks' loss of their lands will have a negative impact on the national security of the state.
The state system of Russia does not give the opportunity to constantly protect the national interests of its people, and the Cossack organizations that were created formally, are absolutely helpless in front of real threats.
It should be noted that the lands that are in the possession of the Cossacks, constitute the economic basis of the entire Cossack Army. As is known, the Cossack service has its specific features, so the Cossacks need to provide certain social guarantees for their families, as well as means for subsistence, while neither one nor the other should depend on state policy. That is why the main task of the Cossacks, in terms of strategy, is to restore control over those territories that were originally considered the property of the Cossack Troops.
The existence of the Cossacks has always been due to the need to have effective force, ready at any time to speak in defense and protection of the state territory. If this necessity disappears, then the Cossacks become unnecessary, and all their external similarity with previous generations leads only to the fact that the old historical insults are being revived, which are not always real.
It is important to note the fact that the relations of the Cossacks with the authorities have always been difficult. The Cossacks not only defended the interests of the state, but also rebelled against their own authorities in order to warn or put an end to bureaucratic lawlessness.
When perestroika began, the revival of the Cossacks did not fit into the plans of the authorities, who were "at the helm." It is noteworthy that the American Congress considered that the Russian new Cossacks would constitute a potential threat to America. The Yeltsin regime, which at that time came to power, simply blocked all possible ways for the development of the Cossacks. Therefore, the registered Cossacks arose in a complete legal vacuum. The only law relating to the Cossacks, was adopted in 1994 year. But he did not define the functions that should have been assigned to Cossack organizations. Moreover, the definition of the Cossacks and its ethnocultural originality was not given, therefore it was not clear what rights and privileges it could count on. A year later, a split began among the Russian Cossacks: some of its representatives became registered Cossacks who served the state, and the second part made up a group of social activists who remained independent.
But today we have managed to at least partially restore justice. Cossack civil service laws were passed.
It should be noted that the educational base of the Cossacks is multiplied. Today, cadet education must be complemented by university education. By the way, 15 February 2012, one of the higher educational institutions - Moscow State University of Technology and Management named after K. Razumovsky was given the status of Cossack University. In addition, several very worthy proposals were voiced for improving the ways of interaction between the state and the Cossacks. So, for example, it was proposed to register the appearance of a Cossack family in the church, as well as to register the Cossacks in the military registration and enlistment offices. But, of course, it would not hurt to confirm all these innovations with social guarantees.
But all these proposals relate to the military Cossacks, but with respect to "social activists", here the situation is worse. In fact, they remained outside the law. It turns out that they are second-rate people who do not need social guarantees or higher education. But after all, their guilt is not that in the days of the Cossack self-organization there were no documents regulating the Cossack civil service. But, by the way, even now the Cossacks do not really need the state authorities. The government probably would not have remembered them if they had not begun to revive.
And the Cossacks themselves are torn apart by contradictions, which are not so easy to resolve. First, how to relate to the authorities, what to do within the framework of the registered Cossacks, and what is beyond its borders. But, whatever one may say, it was the creation of the state Cossack registry that caused the split between the Cossacks. Secondly, there are certain ideological contradictions. If earlier it was based on Orthodoxy and monarchism, then today not all representatives of the Cossacks share these principles: among them there are supporters of Cossack nationalism and red Cossacks. Therefore, it often happens that except for external attributes, the Cossacks do not unite anything.
Therefore, it is obvious that, in the opinion of experts, the new Russian government should take measures in order to form the economic basis for the Cossacks and integrate them into the armed forces as soon as possible. You ask why? Everything is very simple - it will serve as a guarantee for the formation of a new Russian combat-ready army. Since the Russian Federation is a large state, it will not be able to manage exclusively with a professional army. And the Cossacks - is a force that regularly undergo retraining, thus maintaining combat capability. In this case, the Cossacks could serve as a kind of special semi-professional class. Cossacks can not only serve in regular military units, but also be used to protect state borders and serve in reserve.
Only in the event that the Cossacks become an integral part of the state, if its representatives do not feel disdain from the government, only in this case can it become not a historical reminder of the glorious past, but also the main personnel resource for the armed forces, a formidable force protect the interests of the country.
Materials used:
http://www.rnfront.info/2012/03/kazachestvo.html
http://clubs.ya.ru/4611686018427393751/replies.xml?item_no=84
http://kvzn.zp.ua/index.php?go=news&nomid=47&news_id=1001
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