Siberian separatism

Siberian separatism, or "oblastnichestvo" (Russian: областничество), is a political movement to form an autonomous or independent Siberian polity. It originated in the mid-19th century and reached a high tide with the military activities of Aleksandr Kolchak and Viktor Pepelyayev during the Russian Civil War.

On the heels of Afanasy Shchapov's activities in Siberia, a movement advocating a far-ranging autonomy for the region took shape under the name of "regionalism" ("oblastnichestvo") . In the 19th century the movement was founded by Siberian students in Saint Petersburg: Grigory Potanin, N. M. Yadrintsev and people with other backgrounds. Some radical members in 1863 presumably prepared a revolt in Siberia together with exiled Poles and Ukrainians, trying to achieve independence and to begin with the development of a Western-aligned Siberian state, similar to the United States. Forty-four members of the group were arrested and taken to prison by the Czarist government in May 1865, after watch officers of the Siberian Cadet Corps searched cadet Arseny Samsonov, aged 16, for illicit items and found a proclamation entitled "To Patriots of Siberia," attributed to a collective authorship of G.N. Potanin, N.M. Yadrintsev, S.S. Shashkov, et al. [Slezikini, Y. "Arctic Mirrors: Russia and the Small Peoples of the North", Chapter 4, page 95 - 130, Cornell University Press] The idea of an independent Siberia was supported by Russian thinker Mikhail Bakunin, hoping it would become a democratic state, prosperous within a union with United States and leading to the collapse of Imperial Russia Mark Bassin "Imperial Visions: Nationalist Imagination and Geographical Expansion in the Russian Far East, 1840-1865] . Siberia was seen by local thinkers and settlers as means of escape from the oppression of the Russian Empire, and the seed of a possible free and democratic country that would spread freedom across Asia.

In the end of the 19th and at beginning of the 20th century, Siberian nationalists led by Potanin and Yadrintsev formed a legal opposition to Russian colonialism in Siberia; they wrote many books and articles, and organized research into Siberian cultures, economics, races, nationalities, etc. Yadrintsev's greatest book is "Siberia As Colony" (Сибирь как колония), where he postulates that the future of Siberia is domination of the white race and a European way of development, similar to the U.S., and that Siberians already have many differences from their Russian and East-Slavic ancestors - especially cultural differences such as love of freedom and private initiative. And therefore, Siberians should found a new nation just as the Americans did.

After the February Revolution, the development of oblastnichestvo gained momentum, as on May 21, 1917, when the oblastniks convened their first general meeting in Irkutsk, where they heard and discussed the report delivered by I.I. Serebrennikov On the autonomy of Siberia. In August, the oblastniks convened the Conference of Public Organizations based on the decision of Tomsk Provincial People's Assembly as of May 18, 1917. On August 5, 1917, the Conference approved "The Regulations for the Autonomy of Siberia" and heard the report by P.A. Kazantsev On the Siberian National Banner, which it also unanimously approved: cquote|The National Siberian Banner shall be a combination of 2 colours: white and green. White colour means Siberian snow, whilst green colour - Siberian taiga. The banner shall be rectangular, split into 2 parts diagonally from the left top to right bottom. thus, the upper triangle shall be of green colour, and the lower one - of white colour. [The A.S. Pushkin Tomsk Regional Universal Scientific Library: Siberian Oblastnichestvo. Chronicle] [The flags of the national entities in Russia in 1917-1920] [V.V. Zhuravlev (2000) The National Symbols of the "White" Russia] On January 28, 1918, the Siberian Regional Duma was convened in Tomsk in secret, fearing supression by the Bolsheviks, who occupied the city. The members elected the members of the Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia from the four political factions. The Socialist-Revolutionary Party delegated P.Ya. Derber to be the Chairman of the Government, colonel A.A. Krakovetsky to take the Ministry of Defence, A.Ye. Novosyolov - Minister of Internal Affairs, N.Ye. Zhernakov - State Controller and Ye.V. Zakharov, S.A. Kudryavtsev and M.B. Shatilov to be ministers with no charge. The Oblastniks delegated P.V. Vologodsky to become the Minister of Foreign Affairs, V.M. Krutovsky - Minister of Public Health, G.B. Patushinsky - Minister of Justice, I.I. Serebrennikov - Minister of Supply and Food, I.A. Mikhailov - Minister of Finance, L.A. Ustrugov - Minister of Railways. The Nationalists and ethnic minorities delegated V.T. Tiber-Petrov to take the position of the Minister of Native Affairs, D.G. Sulima - Minister of Exterritorial Peoples, E.D. Rinchino - Minister of Public Education, G.S. Neometullov to be a minister with no charge. And at last, the Mensheviks delegated two members: M.A. Kolobov to become the Minister of Trade and Industry and I.S. Yudin to become the Minister of Labour. Curiously enough, only a handful of them agreed to take part in the Government. Fairly soon, most of the ministers had to flee to the Far East and stayed there until July, when they went to Vladivostok after it was liberated from the Bolsheviks by the Czechs.

Meanwhile, on May 27, 1918, colonel A.N. Grishin-Almazov, who undertook his best efforts to unite the officer resistance against the Bolsheviks, ordered a full scale uprising, which proved to be a total success, as the Whites managed to defeat the Reds and cleared many Siberian cities of their presence. On June 13, 1918, colonel A.N. Grishin-Almazov issued an order to form the West Siberian Army (later to become Siberian Army). In a matter of months, he managed to accumulate over 10,000 volunteers across Siberia and Urals, which allowed some of the Siberian ministers headed by P.V. Vologodsky to come back. On June 23, 1918, P.V. Vologodsky formed a new Provisional Siberian Government instead of the previously elected Government of Autonomous Siberia, which had virtually no influence and authority whatsoever. He took the chair and ministry of foreign affairs assisted by many of his former member ministers I.I. Serebrennikov, who again became the Minister of Supply, while I.A. Mikhailov was chosen to be the Minister of Finance and M.B. Shatilov - the Minister of Native Affairs. Colonel A.N. Grishin-Almazov was appointed Minister of Defence.

On July 4, 1918, the Government published the Declaration of the National Independence of Siberia, which was signed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pyotr Vasilievich Vologodsky, Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Mikhailovich Krutovsky, Minister of Justice Grigory Borisovich Patushinsky, Minister of Finance Ivan Adrianovich Mikhailov, Minister of Native Affairs Mikhail Bonifatievich Shatilov.

On November 3, 1918, the Provisional Siberian Government was forced to delegate its powers to the Ufa Directoire, which in its turn was overthrown by the military willing to bring admiral A.V. Kolchak to power. [The A.S. Pushkin Tomsk Regional Universal Scientific Library: Siberian Oblastnichestvo. Chronicle]

After fall of Kolchak, Soviet control over Siberia was not reestablished until 1927, as in 1921-1923 Siberian guerrillas led by General A.N. Pepelyaev fought against the Bolsheviks in Yakutia. After he was defeated, Siberia was regularly thrilled by the uprisings of M.K. Artyomiev and P.V. Ksenofontov. Pål Kolstø, Helge Blakkisrud "Nation-Building and Common Values in Russia"Rowman & Littlefield 2004 page 162] . Due to Siberian opposition to Bolshevik rule and independence tendencies, the region wasn't trusted by Bolshevik authorities and was the only region in Soviet Union ruled by extraordinary body- Sibrevkom -that was fully imposed from Moscow.

Notes

References

*Balzer, M, M. (1999) The Tenacity of Ethnicity: A Siberian Saga in Global Perspective. Princeton University Press
*Tishkov, V. (1997) Ethnicity, Nationalism and Conflict in and after the Soviet Union: The Mind Aflame. Sage Publications Ltd
*Lincoln, B. (1993) The Conquest of a Continent. The Bodley Head Ltd
*Curtis. K. (1985) The Soviet State: The Domestic Roots of Soviet Foreign Policy. Royal Institute of International Affairs
* [http://oblastnichestvo.lib.tomsk.ru/page.php?id=80 The A.S. Pushkin Tomsk Regional Universal Scientific Library: Siberian Oblastnichestvo. Chronicle]
* [http://www.vexillographia.ru/russia/index.htm The flags of the national entities in Russia in 1917-1920]
* [http://www.zaimka.ru/white/zhuravlev2.shtml V.V. Zhuravlev (2000) The National Symbols of the "White" Russia]

External links

* [http://www.b-info.com/places/Bulgaria/news/95-03/mar15.omri Bulgarian News]
* [http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4189 Cornell University Press: The Conquest Of a Continent]
* [http://www.loc.gov/about/welcome/speeches/russianperspectives/colloq2s1.html "The Search for a New Russian National Identity"] , The Second Colloquium, The American Center, Tomsk, Russia, November 5, 1998
* [http://wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/ACF2B0.pdf How America's conscience became a enemy of tsarism]