A brief history of Siberian separatism
The problem of creating a Ukrainian or Belarusian myth (the existence of separate nations - Ukrainians and Belarusians, as well as their states) is more or less voiced. But the origins of the myth - "independent Siberia" is much less known. This article will discuss the origins of Siberian separatism, the so-called. Siberian regionalism, and its development.
Initially, Siberian regionalism is the intention to obtain autonomous status or even state independence of Siberia. This idea originated in the middle of the 19 century in the metropolitan student environment, people from the well-to-do layers of the Western Siberian region of the Russian Empire. This handful of radical youth, having read a lot of liberal, revolutionary literature, dreamed of separating Siberia from Russia, and creating a state there, taking the USA as a model. They created the "Circle of Siberian studying youth." The St. Petersburg circle included Grigory Potanin, Nikolai Yadrintsev, Seraphim Shashkov, Nikolai Naumov, Fedor Usov, and others. They were close in their views to the revolutionary populists, advocated democratic freedoms and the revolutionary struggle against tsarism.
Students studied the populist ideas of A.I. Herzen and N.G. Chernyshevsky, the anarcho-federalist ideas of M.A. Bakunin, the Zemstvo-regional theory of A.P. Shchapov, historical the works of N. I. Kostomarov and even the freedom-loving poetry of T. G. Shevchenko. Exiled Decembrists and Petrashevists, the first Siberian historian P. A. Slovtsov, were considered the ideological predecessors. A major role in shaping their worldview was played by US history. Many of them carried this fascination with the States through their whole lives. In 1893, Nikolai Yadrintsev wrote to Grigory Potanin during his American trip: “I am writing to you on July 4 - a holiday of independence: imagine my feelings ... My heart sank, and pain and longing for our country. Oh my God! Will it be so blooming. " A very characteristic phenomenon for Westerners - for them the countries of the West are a model and role model in everything.
Western ideas and Western colonization became an impetus for future Siberian separatists to the realization of the colonial position of Siberia within Russia. Later, during the investigation, Potanin said bluntly that the idea of separating Siberia from Russia came from an analogy with the history of North America and the Spanish American colonies, which gained independence from their metropolises. The pioneers of Siberian separatism showed keen interest in Western social and economic theories. In their writings and letters, a whole list of Western authors whose works they studied - P.J. Proudhon and Louis Blanc, A. Saint-Simon, G.Ch. Carey, C. Marx, V. Roscher, A, Leroy-Beaulieu, D. Dreper. Western ideas were necessary for the scientific substantiation of the "Siberian issues." Already in the 1880-s of the XIX century, after the arrest and freedom, regional leaders actively promoted the achievements of Western colonial science on the pages of their press organ - in the newspaper "Eastern Review".
Returning to Siberia, free-thinkers began their campaigns. They opposed the "colonial oppression", in defense of foreigners, offered to cancel the criminal link to Siberia, protested against the "ebb of young students from Siberia to the capital." They considered Siberia as a political and economic colony of European Russia, and the inhabitants of the region, the Siberians, were considered a new nation. Noted the unfair distribution of funds - their outflow from Siberia. Among their ideas were quite sensible, like the need to open a university in Siberia.
We established contacts with Russian political exiles and Poles (participants in the uprising). They began to prepare an armed uprising. The armed struggle should have preceded a significant stage of preparation. It included active propaganda, including the ideas of the independence of Siberia; expanding the ranks of his supporters, searching for contacts with sympathizers, “relations with other cities, villages and mines”; device secret printing houses; raising money, etc. Propaganda was primarily aimed at the educated part of the townspeople and, above all, at the youth. Projects were developed for publishing their own newspapers, magazines, literary and journalistic collections, and organizing a special Siberian Review in the Russian Word magazine.
In the summer of 1865, their plot was uncovered. The proclamation “To the Patriots of Siberia” was discovered in the Siberian Cadet Corps. A “case of the separation of Siberia from Russia and the creation of a republic similar to the United States” was launched, which has become one of the largest political processes in Russia. 70 people were brought to the investigation, 19 were convicted of them, they were sentenced to prison and exile. In particular, Potanin after a three-year stay in Omsk prison in May 1868, was subjected to a civilian penalty of a disgraceful punishment when an arrested person was publicly humiliated (breaking a sword over his head as a sign of deprivation of all rights of state — property, parental, class privileges, ranks, awards etc.). Potanin was sent to penal servitude in Sveaborg, where he sat until November 1871. Then sent to the city of Nikolsk, Vologda province. In 1874, at the request of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society Potanin was amnestied. Another Yadrintsev activist in 1868 was convicted and exiled to Shenkursk, Arkhangelsk province. He was also pardoned in 1874.
Katorga and exile somewhat paused the “regionalists” and when the winds of freedom blew out again in Russia, the oblast area acquired a somewhat softer character, the separatists began talking about autonomy. In 1880 - 1890, the oblast directors actively supported the establishment of local (local) self-government in the Siberian region. At the beginning of the 20 century, they were divided into two groups: regional cadets (A. Adrianov, A. Hattenberger, P. Vologodsky, I. Serebrennikov, and others) and regional social workers (P. Derber J., Kolosov E.E.). After February and October 1917, the Siberian separatists were able to make their dreams come true. In August, a conference was held in Tomsk, which adopted a resolution “On the Autonomous Structure of Siberia” within the framework of a federation with self-determination of regions and nationalities. She also approved the white-green flag of Siberia. In October and December 1917, general Siberian regional congresses were held in Tomsk, they announced the need for their own executive, judicial and legislative powers. The 1-Siberian Government was established - the Provisional Siberian Regional Council, headed by Grigory Potanin. Potanin by this time was a famous Russian geographer, botanist, traveler, who explored the little-studied areas of Mongolia, China and Tibet. The Siberian Regional Duma in Tomsk became the supreme legislative body of the “Siberian government”. The Duma began work on 20 (28) on January 1918. It included representatives of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, Menshevik Party, regional leaders, organizations of the indigenous peoples of Siberia (Altai, Tatar, Buryat, Yakut, etc.) and migrants (Poles, Ukrainians, Germans, etc.). Its chairman was Social Revolutionary I. A. Yakushev. True, after a few days, the chairman of the Tomsk Council of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies, N. N. Yakovlev, dispersed the Siberian Duma. Its activity was resumed after the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps, but then the Duma was again dissolved, at the request of the Provisional Siberian Government.
During the Civil War, the provincialists of a cadet orientation actively supported Kolchak, many of them became part of his government, and the regional Socialist Revolutionaries were in opposition. It should be noted that, both in the second half of the 19 century, and at the beginning of the 20 century, the idea of autonomy or independence of Siberia did not extend beyond a rather narrow circle of intellectuals. Ordinary people did not hear about any Siberian regionalism or independence, he was worried about more pressing issues - war and peace, bread, red and white terror, etc. White also did not support this idea, since their program was based on united and indivisible "Russia, although they used the administrative experience of individual leaders. With the arrival of the Bolsheviks, fortunately, the situation has not changed. The theme of the “autonomy of Siberia” was not supported by the Bolsheviks, as in Little Russia or Belarus before the ethnic separation of the body of a single Russian people and Russian statehood.
A new breath in this destructive idea appeared during the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the suggestion of the Americans, the topic of Siberian oblastism was stepped up in Russia and several radical groups of Siberian separatists were created, sometimes even a few dozen people (the possibilities of campaigning were sharply increased, as was the circle of intellectuals prone to Western "novelties"). True, initially these circles practically did not go beyond their limits and did not represent a special danger, without support from above. But the trial balloons of the establishment of the “Ural Republic”, “independent Siberia”, or its sales (long-term lease transfers) of the USA have already been launched. Ideas and slogans were the same as before. They say that Moscow exploits suburbs, misappropriates financial flows, Siberia is in fact a colony of European Russia. It was proved that with the separation of Siberia, its inhabitants would perfectly heal even without Moscow, since they have the whole “Mendeleev table”. The supporters of the independence of Ukraine and the Baltic republics worked in the same spirit.
In 1990-2000-ies, with the mass coming to life of the Internet, there was a movement for the creation of the Siberian language and people. There were ideas of creating a “melting pot”, following the example of America, where the entire population of Siberia is mixed up, and a “Siberian language” will be created for the newly formed “ethnos”. There were even attempts to create such a language, a Tomsk businessman, Yaroslav Zolotorov, and became the creator of an artificial "Siberian language." To create it, Zolotarev used the Siberian and Pomorian dialects of the Russian language, archaic words, elements of South Russian vocabulary, Mongolism and Turkism. It must be said that Zolotarev was an activist of the Siberian regional movement “Volgotha” and was marked in insulting expressions in relation to the Russian people.
Thus, a new wave of Siberian separatism arose among the denationalized liberals, Western intellectuals, for whom the United States was a model and example, as for Westerners, liberals of the end of 19 - the beginning of 20 centuries was the ideal of England (or France). Naturally, the western "partners and friends" of Russia did not remain aloof from this very interesting process, in terms of the final solution of the "Russian question" and the complete victory over the main geopolitical opponent. In particular, grants for the study and popularization of Siberian regionalism from the Soros Foundation began to be allocated. Ukrainian nationalists also took part in this, dreaming of creating a new artificial nation and a "Siberian language." It is clear that, in general, this movement still does not affect the masses. However, who would have thought before the 1917 year, that Ukraine and Belarus will be created on the body of the Russian state? The project has already been created and with the support of the local political elite and external assistance - from the United States, the European Union and China, it can be fully implemented. It is obvious that if the internal and external enemies of Russia can realize the scenario of the collapse of the Russian Federation, following the example of the Russian Empire and the USSR, this plan and its carriers will be in demand.
Initially, Siberian regionalism is the intention to obtain autonomous status or even state independence of Siberia. This idea originated in the middle of the 19 century in the metropolitan student environment, people from the well-to-do layers of the Western Siberian region of the Russian Empire. This handful of radical youth, having read a lot of liberal, revolutionary literature, dreamed of separating Siberia from Russia, and creating a state there, taking the USA as a model. They created the "Circle of Siberian studying youth." The St. Petersburg circle included Grigory Potanin, Nikolai Yadrintsev, Seraphim Shashkov, Nikolai Naumov, Fedor Usov, and others. They were close in their views to the revolutionary populists, advocated democratic freedoms and the revolutionary struggle against tsarism.
Students studied the populist ideas of A.I. Herzen and N.G. Chernyshevsky, the anarcho-federalist ideas of M.A. Bakunin, the Zemstvo-regional theory of A.P. Shchapov, historical the works of N. I. Kostomarov and even the freedom-loving poetry of T. G. Shevchenko. Exiled Decembrists and Petrashevists, the first Siberian historian P. A. Slovtsov, were considered the ideological predecessors. A major role in shaping their worldview was played by US history. Many of them carried this fascination with the States through their whole lives. In 1893, Nikolai Yadrintsev wrote to Grigory Potanin during his American trip: “I am writing to you on July 4 - a holiday of independence: imagine my feelings ... My heart sank, and pain and longing for our country. Oh my God! Will it be so blooming. " A very characteristic phenomenon for Westerners - for them the countries of the West are a model and role model in everything.
Western ideas and Western colonization became an impetus for future Siberian separatists to the realization of the colonial position of Siberia within Russia. Later, during the investigation, Potanin said bluntly that the idea of separating Siberia from Russia came from an analogy with the history of North America and the Spanish American colonies, which gained independence from their metropolises. The pioneers of Siberian separatism showed keen interest in Western social and economic theories. In their writings and letters, a whole list of Western authors whose works they studied - P.J. Proudhon and Louis Blanc, A. Saint-Simon, G.Ch. Carey, C. Marx, V. Roscher, A, Leroy-Beaulieu, D. Dreper. Western ideas were necessary for the scientific substantiation of the "Siberian issues." Already in the 1880-s of the XIX century, after the arrest and freedom, regional leaders actively promoted the achievements of Western colonial science on the pages of their press organ - in the newspaper "Eastern Review".
Returning to Siberia, free-thinkers began their campaigns. They opposed the "colonial oppression", in defense of foreigners, offered to cancel the criminal link to Siberia, protested against the "ebb of young students from Siberia to the capital." They considered Siberia as a political and economic colony of European Russia, and the inhabitants of the region, the Siberians, were considered a new nation. Noted the unfair distribution of funds - their outflow from Siberia. Among their ideas were quite sensible, like the need to open a university in Siberia.
We established contacts with Russian political exiles and Poles (participants in the uprising). They began to prepare an armed uprising. The armed struggle should have preceded a significant stage of preparation. It included active propaganda, including the ideas of the independence of Siberia; expanding the ranks of his supporters, searching for contacts with sympathizers, “relations with other cities, villages and mines”; device secret printing houses; raising money, etc. Propaganda was primarily aimed at the educated part of the townspeople and, above all, at the youth. Projects were developed for publishing their own newspapers, magazines, literary and journalistic collections, and organizing a special Siberian Review in the Russian Word magazine.
In the summer of 1865, their plot was uncovered. The proclamation “To the Patriots of Siberia” was discovered in the Siberian Cadet Corps. A “case of the separation of Siberia from Russia and the creation of a republic similar to the United States” was launched, which has become one of the largest political processes in Russia. 70 people were brought to the investigation, 19 were convicted of them, they were sentenced to prison and exile. In particular, Potanin after a three-year stay in Omsk prison in May 1868, was subjected to a civilian penalty of a disgraceful punishment when an arrested person was publicly humiliated (breaking a sword over his head as a sign of deprivation of all rights of state — property, parental, class privileges, ranks, awards etc.). Potanin was sent to penal servitude in Sveaborg, where he sat until November 1871. Then sent to the city of Nikolsk, Vologda province. In 1874, at the request of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society Potanin was amnestied. Another Yadrintsev activist in 1868 was convicted and exiled to Shenkursk, Arkhangelsk province. He was also pardoned in 1874.
Katorga and exile somewhat paused the “regionalists” and when the winds of freedom blew out again in Russia, the oblast area acquired a somewhat softer character, the separatists began talking about autonomy. In 1880 - 1890, the oblast directors actively supported the establishment of local (local) self-government in the Siberian region. At the beginning of the 20 century, they were divided into two groups: regional cadets (A. Adrianov, A. Hattenberger, P. Vologodsky, I. Serebrennikov, and others) and regional social workers (P. Derber J., Kolosov E.E.). After February and October 1917, the Siberian separatists were able to make their dreams come true. In August, a conference was held in Tomsk, which adopted a resolution “On the Autonomous Structure of Siberia” within the framework of a federation with self-determination of regions and nationalities. She also approved the white-green flag of Siberia. In October and December 1917, general Siberian regional congresses were held in Tomsk, they announced the need for their own executive, judicial and legislative powers. The 1-Siberian Government was established - the Provisional Siberian Regional Council, headed by Grigory Potanin. Potanin by this time was a famous Russian geographer, botanist, traveler, who explored the little-studied areas of Mongolia, China and Tibet. The Siberian Regional Duma in Tomsk became the supreme legislative body of the “Siberian government”. The Duma began work on 20 (28) on January 1918. It included representatives of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, Menshevik Party, regional leaders, organizations of the indigenous peoples of Siberia (Altai, Tatar, Buryat, Yakut, etc.) and migrants (Poles, Ukrainians, Germans, etc.). Its chairman was Social Revolutionary I. A. Yakushev. True, after a few days, the chairman of the Tomsk Council of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies, N. N. Yakovlev, dispersed the Siberian Duma. Its activity was resumed after the uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps, but then the Duma was again dissolved, at the request of the Provisional Siberian Government.
During the Civil War, the provincialists of a cadet orientation actively supported Kolchak, many of them became part of his government, and the regional Socialist Revolutionaries were in opposition. It should be noted that, both in the second half of the 19 century, and at the beginning of the 20 century, the idea of autonomy or independence of Siberia did not extend beyond a rather narrow circle of intellectuals. Ordinary people did not hear about any Siberian regionalism or independence, he was worried about more pressing issues - war and peace, bread, red and white terror, etc. White also did not support this idea, since their program was based on united and indivisible "Russia, although they used the administrative experience of individual leaders. With the arrival of the Bolsheviks, fortunately, the situation has not changed. The theme of the “autonomy of Siberia” was not supported by the Bolsheviks, as in Little Russia or Belarus before the ethnic separation of the body of a single Russian people and Russian statehood.
A new breath in this destructive idea appeared during the collapse of the Soviet Union. At the suggestion of the Americans, the topic of Siberian oblastism was stepped up in Russia and several radical groups of Siberian separatists were created, sometimes even a few dozen people (the possibilities of campaigning were sharply increased, as was the circle of intellectuals prone to Western "novelties"). True, initially these circles practically did not go beyond their limits and did not represent a special danger, without support from above. But the trial balloons of the establishment of the “Ural Republic”, “independent Siberia”, or its sales (long-term lease transfers) of the USA have already been launched. Ideas and slogans were the same as before. They say that Moscow exploits suburbs, misappropriates financial flows, Siberia is in fact a colony of European Russia. It was proved that with the separation of Siberia, its inhabitants would perfectly heal even without Moscow, since they have the whole “Mendeleev table”. The supporters of the independence of Ukraine and the Baltic republics worked in the same spirit.
In 1990-2000-ies, with the mass coming to life of the Internet, there was a movement for the creation of the Siberian language and people. There were ideas of creating a “melting pot”, following the example of America, where the entire population of Siberia is mixed up, and a “Siberian language” will be created for the newly formed “ethnos”. There were even attempts to create such a language, a Tomsk businessman, Yaroslav Zolotorov, and became the creator of an artificial "Siberian language." To create it, Zolotarev used the Siberian and Pomorian dialects of the Russian language, archaic words, elements of South Russian vocabulary, Mongolism and Turkism. It must be said that Zolotarev was an activist of the Siberian regional movement “Volgotha” and was marked in insulting expressions in relation to the Russian people.
Thus, a new wave of Siberian separatism arose among the denationalized liberals, Western intellectuals, for whom the United States was a model and example, as for Westerners, liberals of the end of 19 - the beginning of 20 centuries was the ideal of England (or France). Naturally, the western "partners and friends" of Russia did not remain aloof from this very interesting process, in terms of the final solution of the "Russian question" and the complete victory over the main geopolitical opponent. In particular, grants for the study and popularization of Siberian regionalism from the Soros Foundation began to be allocated. Ukrainian nationalists also took part in this, dreaming of creating a new artificial nation and a "Siberian language." It is clear that, in general, this movement still does not affect the masses. However, who would have thought before the 1917 year, that Ukraine and Belarus will be created on the body of the Russian state? The project has already been created and with the support of the local political elite and external assistance - from the United States, the European Union and China, it can be fully implemented. It is obvious that if the internal and external enemies of Russia can realize the scenario of the collapse of the Russian Federation, following the example of the Russian Empire and the USSR, this plan and its carriers will be in demand.
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