How Russia handled minority populations - Anastasia Zausner
Russian relations with other nationalities, minority races, and religions varies greatly throughout the Muscovite period. Certain reforms during the Muscovite period were very liberal towards minority populations, but in other years there was a great deal of xenophobia and anti-Semitism. In the early 1500’s under Ivan III, Judaizing was happening freely across the country. It is widely speculated that this was due to the tensions between Lithuania and Russia. Lithuania had expelled practicing Jews from their country, and therefore Russia was more lenient on the spread of the religion as a form of retaliation. Unfortunately only a couple years after Tsar Ivan III left the throne, Vasilli Ivanovich IV ascended to power and Jews were expelled from Russia. This was particularly extreme in terms of the way Russia had treated Jews in other times. Although, in later years Russia did force Jews to live in shtetles, which were poor villages made up of those ostracized in Russia. They could only work within these shtetles, which greatly limited the fields they had the opportunity to enter, paired with the lesser education in this area, the lives of the Jews became very limited in Russia. Under Peter I, Jews could even be conscripted for longer periods.
In terms of Russia’s relations with foreign people on their land, there were two sides of the spectrum. Under Peter I Scottish and German people were transferred to Russian jobs via the request of the Tsar. He asked them to help build St. Petersburg, and staff the trade schools he had created. This showed an immense amount of trust, as he was the first Tsar to treat foreigners with respect, and many Russians were skeptical of his decision. Earlier in the Muscovite era, however, foreigners had been treated very badly in Russia. For instance, when Russia won The Great Northern War, instead of
In terms of Russia’s relations with foreign people on their land, there were two sides of the spectrum. Under Peter I Scottish and German people were transferred to Russian jobs via the request of the Tsar. He asked them to help build St. Petersburg, and staff the trade schools he had created. This showed an immense amount of trust, as he was the first Tsar to treat foreigners with respect, and many Russians were skeptical of his decision. Earlier in the Muscovite era, however, foreigners had been treated very badly in Russia. For instance, when Russia won The Great Northern War, instead of