Valuev Circular

The Valuev Circular ( _ru. Валуевский циркуляр, "Valuyevskiy tsirkulyar"; _uk. Валуєвський циркуляр, "Valuievs’kyi tsyrkuliar") of 18 July, 1863 was a secret decree (ukaz) of the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire Pyotr Valuev (Valuyev) by which a large portion of the publications in Ukrainian language was prohibited. The circular was written in response to the fear that education of the Ukrainian peasantry could cultivate national awareness and lead to separatism.

During the 19th century Russian Imperial authorities held that there were several variants of the Russian language:

* Great Russian ( _ru. "Velikorusskiy")
* Little Russian ( _ru. "Malorusskiy"), the Ukrainian language
* White Russian ( _ru. "Belorusskiy"), Belarusian

They were not considered separate languages, but rather dialects of Russian.

The Circular has put the reason for the growing number of textbooks in Ukrainian, and beginner-level books in Ukrainian with "the Poles' political interests" and the "separatist intentions of some of the Little Russians". The Circular also stated that "no separate Little Russian language ever existed, doesn't exist, and couldn't exist", and that the Little Russian is nothing more than the "General Russian" spoiled by Polish influence.

The Circular ordered the Censorship Committees to ban the publication of religious texts, educational texts, and beginner-level books in Ukrainian, but permitted publication of literature in that language.

The situation with Ukrainian language was later resolved in such a way that the usage of the language in open print was completely prohibited with the Ems Ukaz in 1876.

See also

*Lithuanian press ban

Further reading

* Alexei Miller, "The Ukrainian Question. The Russian Empire and Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century", Central European University Press, Budapest - New York, 2003, ISBN 963-9241-60-1
* Magocsi, Paul Robert (1996). "A History of Ukraine". Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-0830-5. pp. 369-70 contain a translation.