Russophilia

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Russophilia (word formation with a suffix from the ancient Greek φιλία philía "friendship", "love", "affection") describes the love of non- Russians for everything Russian. Russia , but also Russian history , Russian traditions, the Russian language , Russian cuisine , Russian literature, etc., can be the subject of Russophilia. The antonym to Russophilia is Russophobia , the fear of Russian.

Russophilia in Europe

In October 2004, the Gallup Organization published the results of its international survey that around 20% of people in Western Europe see Russia as positive, with the most positive views in Iceland , Greece and the UK . Positive attitudes towards Russia were 9% of respondents in Finland , Turkey and Japan , 38% in Lithuania , 36% in Latvia , and 34% in Estonia . Lithuania, Estonia and especially Latvia have a large population of ethnic Russians who likely influenced the outcome.

Russophilia in Serbia and Montenegro

Russophilia is very common in Serbia and Montenegro . While the Russians are unpopular with the other nations of Eastern Europe because of their influence over them during the Cold War , there was no Soviet occupation in Serbia and Montenegro, which also share the Orthodox religion with Russia, rather the Russians have always been seen as a fraternal people. Over 53% of Serbs see Russia as their first ally in international politics.

Russophilia is reflected in idioms , especially in Serbia . Bog visoko, Rusija daleko (God is too high up, Russia too far away) is used when one is in a hopeless situation. The well-known Serbian idiom Nas i Rusa trista miliona (We and the Russians make three hundred million) is often used to emphasize the strength of the bond.

Russophilia in Ukraine

In the Ukraine to live according to official figures, more than 7.9 million Russians - that's 17.3% of the total population, this number sharply decline due to the marriages of Ukrainians and Russians, and the children are considered to be Ukrainian. The Russian language, on the other hand, is widespread in Ukraine, dominates as a mother tongue in the east and south of the country and is considered a lingua franca. According to two studies, around 53% of the total Ukrainian population and 81.5% of the population in the south and east of Ukraine prefer Russian to other languages. Especially in the predominantly Russian-speaking eastern part of Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian citizens want the government to adopt a Russophile attitude towards Russia and dream of closer economic partnership and national unity.

Russophilia was a social, political, linguistic, and literary movement in western Ukraine in the territory of Galicia , Transcarpathia, and Bucovina from the 18th to the 20th centuries . The reasons for the emergence of this phenomenon were the loss of Ukrainian statehood through the annexation in Russia and the centuries of foreign rule that followed, as well as fragmented Ukrainian territories, the dispersed population and the decline of the Ukrainian elite.

When Galicia and Bukovina were annexed by Austria-Hungary in the first partition of Poland in 1772 , the Austrian government treated the Slavic population with suspicion and feared Russian influence because of the proximity of the Ukrainian and Russian languages ​​and cultures. The authorities' distrust of Ukrainians and Russians was increased by Polish politicians and activists and their efforts to maintain Polish national consciousness.

Any influence of Russian culture and Russophilia was hostile to the Austrian government. After Metropolitan Mihail Lewicki began to introduce the Ruthenian language in elementary schools, in grammar books and at universities, Russian influence waned after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.

Russophilia spread in Zakarpattia at the end of the 18th century when more and more Russian politicians and noblemen who had ties to the government and the court of the Tsar settled there, including famous scientists and social activists such as I. Orlai, M. Baludiansky and P. Lodiy, who maintained close relations with the country and thus fostered interest in Russia, its cultural life, its language and literature.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Helsingin Sanomat , October 11, 2004, International Survey: Anti-Russian sentiments are very strong in Finland. Only Kosovo has an even more negative (International poll. Anti-Russian sentiment runs very strong in Finland Only Kosovo has more negative attitude) in English