Settlement Policy of the Tsarist Empire in the Caucasus

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As part of the settlement policy of the Tsarist Empire in the Caucasus , different peoples were settled, resettled and deported. The aim of the settlement policy was to consolidate the power of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The settlement policy was initiated between the 15th and 17th centuries to defend the Russian borders with the Caucasus. The systematic conquest of the Caucasus by Russia began at the beginning of the 19th century . According to the treaties of Georgievsk and Turkmanchai , the tsarist empire brought the entire area between the Black and Caspian Seas to the Aras River under its own control. However, the fighting with the local population continued until the second half of the 19th century. Many Muslim peoples had to leave their homeland as a result of the war in the Caucasus. This was done in two ways. First, as part of a population exchange with the Ottoman Empire and Iran . So some of the Caucasian Muslims were resettled to these two countries, while the Christian population from Iran and the Ottoman Empire came to the Caucasus. Second, the hill tribes were pushed away and farmers from Russia and Ukraine were settled in their place.

aims

The settlement policy should contribute to calming the situation in the region. The groups classified as "hostile" should be completely resettled or deported and the loyal peoples settled instead. You should support the Russian troops in the fight against the peoples who are still resisting. In addition, the Russian command hoped in the long term to recruit soldiers for the Caucasus Army from among the new settlers. The settlement policy had several phases and different peoples became the objects of this policy.

Chronological framework

Chronologically, the settlement policy of the Tsarist Empire in the Caucasus can be divided into two epochs. Until the end of the 18th century, their main goal was to secure the border, especially through the establishment of the Caucasian Line . The systematic conquest of the Caucasus began in the 19th century, whereby the change in the population structure in favor of imperial power became the goal of settlement policy. In the first half of the 19th century, the goal of the Russian administration was to secure the newly conquered territories, and the policy of settlement and resettlement was designed in accordance with these goals. From the second half of the 19th century after the victories in the wars against Iran and the Ottoman Empire , the region began to develop economically. The settlement policy was redirected accordingly.

Geographical framework

The main focuses in the settlement of the population groups were different. In the North Caucasus mainly Cossacks , Germans and farmers from central regions of Russia were settled. In the south, the most important groups were the oriental Christians , especially Armenians , and sectarians.

Settled ethnic and religious groups

Cossacks

The Cossacks were a traditional "means" of Russian expansion policy. They already proved to be very effective in colonizing other conquered areas. That is why the Cossacks were the first to be resettled in the Caucasus. Most were forced to do so. The local population was driven out of the areas with high grain yields, which increased the hatred against the new residents and led to an additional escalation.

The Russian victory in the war against the Ottoman Empire led to the territorial expansion of Russia to the south. This in turn caused the settlement policy to be intensified. At the end of the 18th century, three new fortresses were built in the North Caucasus and the Cossack settlements were established next to them. In the XVIII. In the 19th century, Russia relied on the Russian Cossacks and peasants to colonize the Caucasus. In the XIX. In the 19th century, it was mainly the Ukrainian peasants and Cossacks that were resettled to the North Caucasus.

Old Orthodox and "sectarians"

The Russian administration saw the most suitable categories of settlers in the Old Orthodox and "sectarians". With them as many immigrants as possible from the central areas of Russia should be settled in the Caucasus . The proportionally largest group of the Old Orthodox who were resettled were the Molokans . The Russian government and the Orthodox Church saw the resettlement of the Molokans as a kind of “punishment”. Compared to the Cossacks, the sectarians had fewer problems with the local population and lived peacefully with them. Compared to the members of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Molokans were much more tolerant. For this reason, they were considered to be one of the most important groups that should protect Russia's interests in the periphery, especially in the Caucasus.

Armenians

The policy of the Russian Empire provided for the recruitment of Armenians and their settlement in the southern regions of the empire. The Russian government lured the Armenian population to the Caucasus through tax and economic incentives. The first attempt to conquer the Caucasus was made by Peter I. In the period from 1723 to 1735, the territory along the Caspian Sea was conquered by Russia. After the conquest, Armenians were settled here in order to consolidate the power of the Russian Empire. The diplomatic missions of Russia in the Ottoman Empire and Persia received instructions from Peter the Great to recruit the Armenians to settle in the eastern Caucasus. Several hundred Armenian families from Persia and the Ottoman Empire immigrated to the eastern Caucasus. In order to liberate the territory for them, the Russian administration had the local population partially expelled, especially the Sunni Muslims, as well as those who were involved in anti-Russian actions. In addition, the best and most fertile land should be given to Armenians. After Russia withdrew from the area in 1735, some Armenians stayed in the Caucasus. Many were relocated to the North Caucasus , where new ones ran the Russian border to secure it.

In the time of Catherine the Armenians were used to strengthen the economic and political position of Russia in the south. The opposition with the Ottoman Empire and Persia led Russia to increasingly use the Armenian population in its interests in the 18th century. In the opinion of the Russian officials, the Armenians, as "oriental Christians", were better suited to settling in Muslim areas. They were settled in the North Caucasus, as well as on the territory of today's Ukraine , in order to protect the borders of the Tsarist Empire.

Relations between the Armenians and Russia in the late 18th century intensified when the first Armenians from Turkey and Iran came to the North Caucasus. The hope of the Armenians was the establishment of an Armenian state under the Russian protectorate. After the peace of Kütschük-Kajnardscha in 1774, after which the areas north of the Black Sea were surrendered to Russia, the settlement of the newly conquered areas by Armenians began. The demographic capacities of the tsarist empire were, u. a. because of serfdom , limited. Little hope was placed in a Russian colonization of the North Caucasus . That is why the tsarist government had to rely on the settlers from abroad. One of the centers of Armenian settlement in the North Caucasus was the city of Kislyar . The Armenians were allowed to enjoy certain privileges when settling. As a result of the resettlement policy in the North Caucasus, they became the fourth largest nationality in the North Caucasus (excluding Dagestan ), although hardly any Armenians lived in this region in the 19th century.

The wars with the Ottoman Empire and Persia led to massive waves of migration. The Armenian population from the above countries were settled in the South Caucasus . After the peace treaty of Adrianople alone , 90,000 Armenians came to Russia from the Ottoman Empire, mainly in the South Caucasus. In the period from 1846 to 1915, the number of the Armenian population increased from about 200,000 to 1.68 million.

German

After the beginning of the conquest of the Caucasus, the tsarist authorities tried to promote the migration of German colonists from the Volga region to the Caucasus. For this purpose, economic incentives were created, such as tax relief and the allocation of land parcels. In addition, the Germans were allowed to practice their religion freely in the colonies and were exempt from conscription . The colonists received financial aid from the Russian administration. Another wave of German colonists came from what is now Baden-Württemberg after the Napoleonic Wars . Driven by the economic misery in their homeland, they first came to Georgia and then to Azerbaijan via the port of Odessa .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ W. Muchanow: Prince Alexander Ivanovich Barjatinsky. In: Woprosy Istorii. 5/2003, ISSN  0042-8779 , p. 78
  2. ↑ J. Gordin: Russia in the Caucasus: In search of a solution. In: J. Gordin, W. Lapin, G. Lisizina, B. Milowidow: Caucasus and the Russian Empire: Projects, Ideas, Illusions and Reality. Beginning of XIX. - beginning of XX. Century. Petersburg, 2005, ISBN 5-94214-077-4 , pp. 574-575.
  3. ↑ W. Lapin: The wild tribes should be convinced of our superiority ... The military plans for the conquest of the Caucasus. In: J. Gordin, W. Lapin, G. Lisizina, B. Milowidow (eds.): Caucasus and the Russian Empire: Projects, Ideas, Illusions and Reality. Beginning of XIX. - beginning of XX. Century. Petersburg, 2005, ISBN 5-94214-077-4 , p. 12
  4. ↑ J. Gordin: Russia in the Caucasus: In search of a solution. In: J. Gordin, W. Lapin, G. Lisizina, B. Milowidow (eds.): Caucasus and the Russian Empire: Projects, Ideas, Illusions and Reality. Beginning of XIX. - beginning of XX. Century. Petersburg, 2005, ISBN 5-94214-077-4 , p. 576
  5. ↑ T. Tschernowa-Döke: The German settlements on the periphery of the Russian Empire. Caucasus: A Look Through the Century (1819-1917). Moscow 2008, ISBN 978-5-98355-058-2 , p. 7.
  6. ↑ H. Werdijewa: The resettlement policy of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus. In: Kawkaz & Globalizacija. , Vol. 1 (5), 2007, ISSN  1817-7190 , p. 159.
  7. ^ J. Stadelbauer: The Caucasian periphery of the late Tsarist empire. Basics of the continuity of ethnic conflicts. in: H. Haumann, S. Plaggenborg: The dawn of society in the decreed state. Russia in the late phase of the tsarist empire. Frankfurt am Main u. a. 1994, ISBN 978-3-631-46867-8 , pp. 21-22.
  8. ↑ H. Werdijewa: The resettlement policy of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus. In: Kawkaz & Globalizacija. Vol. 1 (5), 2007, ISSN  1817-7190 , p. 157
  9. ↑ H. Werdijewa: The resettlement policy of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus. In: Kawkaz & Globalizacija. Vol. 1 (5), 2007, ISSN  1817-7190 , p. 157
  10. ↑ A. Remnew, N. Suvorova: "Russian Mission" on the Asian periphery: "Russianity" in danger or "questionable cultural bearer". In: I. Gerasimow, M. Mogilner, A. Semenow (ed.): The invention of the empire: languages ​​and practices. Moscow 2011, ISBN 978-5-98379-152-7 , p. 194.
  11. ↑ G. Matischow: Foreword. In: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials from the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 6.
  12. ↑ N. Garunova: The influence of the settlement policy of Russia in the north-eastern Caucasus on the dynamics of the Armenian population of Kislyar in the XVIII-XIX. Century. In: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials from the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 48
  13. ↑ On the question of Peter I's settlement policy in the Caucasus. http://alpan365.ru/pereselen-politik-petra-kavkaz/ (viewed August 20, 2015)
  14. ↑ On the question of Peter I's settlement policy in the Caucasus. http://alpan365.ru/pereselen-politik-petra-kavkaz/ (viewed August 20, 2015)
  15. ↑ N. Garunova: The influence of the settlement policy of Russia in the north-eastern Caucasus on the dynamics of the Armenian population of Kislyar in the XVIII-XIX. Century. In: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials from the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 44.
  16. ↑ J. Ananjan: On the question of the settlement of the Armenians in the south of Russia in the second half of the XVIII. Century. In: Communications of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR. Social sciences. No. 5, 1963, p. 54
  17. ↑ H. Werdijewa: The resettlement policy of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus. In: Kawkaz & Globalizacija. Vol. 1 (5), 2007, ISSN  1817-7190 , p. 158
  18. ↑ G. Arutjunan: The role of Armenians in protecting the interests of Russia in the North Caucasus. in: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. , Materials of the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 18.
  19. ↑ N. Garunova: The influence of the settlement policy of Russia in the north-eastern Caucasus on the dynamics of the Armenian population of Kislyar in the XVIII-XIX. Century. In: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials of the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov-on-Don, 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 44.
  20. ↑ J. Ananjan: On the question of the settlement of the Armenians in the south of Russia in the second half of the XVIII. Century. In: Communications of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR. Social sciences. No. 5, 1963, p. 51
  21. ↑ J. Ananjan: On the question of the settlement of the Armenians in the south of Russia in the second half of the XVIII. Century. In: Communications of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR. Social sciences. No. 5, 1963, p. 48.
  22. ↑ N. Garunova: The influence of the settlement policy of Russia in the north-eastern Caucasus on the dynamics of the Armenian population of Kislyar in the XVIII-XIX. Century. In: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials from the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov-on-Don, 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 43
  23. ↑ W. Akopjan: National Village Soviets in Southern Russia in the 20-30s of the XX. Century. P. 11–17, in: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. Materials of the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov-on-Don, 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 13.
  24. ↑ N. Garunova: The influence of the settlement policy of Russia in the north-eastern Caucasus on the dynamics of the Armenian population of Kislyar in the XVIII-XIX. Century. In: G. Matischow (ed.): Armenians from the south of Russia: history, culture, common future. , Materials of the All-Russian Conference in Rostov-on-Don May 30 - June 2, 2012, Rostov-on-Don, 2012, ISBN 978-5-4358-0030-2 , p. 47.
  25. ↑ Eva-Maria Auch: A look into the history of the Caucasus. March 21, 2009, last accessed August 20, 2015.
  26. ↑ H. Werdijewa: The resettlement policy of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus. In: Kawkaz & Globalizacija. Vol. 1 (5), 2007, ISSN  1817-7190 , p. 157
  27. ^ W. Fuhrmann: Germans in Azerbaijan - An introduction. www.essadbey.de/pdf/Deutsche%20in%20Aserb_Galerie_31082008.pdf (viewed on August 30, 2015)
  28. ↑ Tamara Černova-De͏̈ke: Nemeckie poselenija na periferii rossijskoj imperii. Kavkaz: vwojad skvozʹ stoletie (1818–1917). Moscow 2008, ISBN 978-5-98355-058-2 , p. 36.
  29. ↑ Tamara Černova-De͏̈ke: Nemeckie poselenija na periferii rossijskoj imperii. Kavkaz: vwojad skvozʹ stoletie (1818–1917). Moscow 2008, ISBN 978-5-98355-058-2 , p. 22.