Е. И. Пивовар
The World of Russian emigres in the late XX – early XXI centuries
The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin No.1710 of December 29, 2012 established the Russian Military Historical Society (RMHS). It inherited the most important functions and activities of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society that existed before the Russian Revolution. According to the RMHS Charter, its objectives are “to consolidate the forces of State and society in studying Russia’s military and historical past, to promote the study of Russian military history, to counter attempts to distort it, to ensure the popularization of achievements in military and historical science, to foster patriotism, to improve the status of military service and to preserve the objects of military and historical cultural heritage.” The Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky was elected Chairman of the RMHS at the Founding Congress held on March 14, 2013 in the Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill. Among the members of the Council of the RMHS are the Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu, the Minister of the Interior Vladimir Kolokoltsev, heads of several other ministries and departments, as well as representatives of large businesses known for their charity in the held of culture and art: Renova Group CEO Viktor Vekselberg, JSFC Sistema major shareholder Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC Transneft Nikolay Tokarev, St Andrew the First-Called Foundation Chairman Vladimir Yakunin et al.
In his address to the participants of the RMHS Founding Congress, President Vladimir Putin said, inter alia:
It is very nice that today, the work of similar organizations is being revived. As you know, we already have active Orthodox Palestinian Society, Russian Geographical Society, Russian Historical Society, and now we have Russian Military Historical Society as well. Many of you worked actively in these areas even before this Society was revived, and up to this day. Now, I will have the pleasure of fulfilling my honourable duty as head of state in presenting many of you with state decorations, certificates of merit for your practical labours in all these areas, which are highly important for our state. I am referring to your care for our military in search parties and archives, holding large-scale patriotic events – the awards recognize your efforts, your active civic patriotic positions.[23]
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society and the Imperial Russian Historical Society have taken an active part in museum, memorial, and publication work undertaken in Russia on the occasion of the centenary of the Patriotic War of 1812. Nowadays, a large-scale program of scientific and cultural events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 has united the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Military Historical Society, the Russian Society of Historical Archivists and a number of historical and memorial organizations both in Russia and abroad. Thus, today the idea of a single “chain of times” connecting different eras of the Russian history is indeed reflected in the activities of the RHS, RMHS, and RSHA, including in terms of their predecessors’ historical experience in the fields of science and education.
The organizational structure of the Russian Military-Historical Society comprises the Russian Cossack Mission in the USA, which coordinates the interaction between the RMHS with the World Cossack Association (WCA) and various corporate, museum and memorial organizations of the Cossack emigration, such as the Kuban Cossacks Corporation (New Jersey), the Cossack People’s Union (California). This includes joint commemorative events related to the history of Russian Cossacks and the return of Cossack relics and archives to their homeland. The Cossack People’s Union is officially a partner of the RMHS. In October 2015, Alexander Pevnev, the Ataman of the Kuban Cossacks in the USA, and Valery Annenkov, the RMHS Commissioner for Cossack Affairs in the USA, arrived in Novocherkassk to participate in the Fifth World Cossack Congress and brought with them the Icon of the New Martyrs of Russia, which was to be given to one of the churches in a village of Kaletvin province of the Rostov region as a gift from the emigrant Cossacks. The RMHS Commissioner for Cossack Affairs in the United States also managed to reach an agreement with the World Cossack Association regarding the transfer to Russia of a set of Cossack periodicals that were published in 1920s-1950s in Prague, Paris, and New York and have been maintained in WCA’s archives. As reported on the RMHS website, the head of the World Cossack Association Vasily Lyashko expressed his hope that ‘the transfer of Cossack magazines from the U. S. to Russia is one of the steps within the framework of the collaboration between the RMHS and the WCA on the basis of the previously adopted Treaty on joint activities of the RMHS and the WCA.’[24]
The Russian Cossack Mission in the USA is not only a participant, but also an organizer of the most important events of the Cossack community abroad. On January 7, 2016, for instance, a conference dedicated to one of the most significant events in Russian military history (the manifesto of Alexander I on the expulsion of Napoleon’s troops from Russia in 1812) was held in the premises of the Cossack museum and club “New Kuban” (New Jersey, USA) by the RMHS office in the USA. The conference timed to coincide with the Orthodox Christmas was attended by military historians and representatives of Cossack and other Russian American organizations. The ties with the Russian community living abroad are strengthened through the partnership between the RMHS, the Scouts Federation Galitskaya Rus and the Center for Development of Relations between the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and Russia n. a. Nadezhda Borodina.
Today, the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society is also a center for creative interaction between a wide range of scientific, cultural and educational personalities of Russia and the Russian world. In 1990, the International Conference on “Russia and Palestine: cultural and religious ties, past present and future” was held in Moscow, while a group of employees of the Russian Palestine Society of the USSR Academy of Sciences visited the Holy Land for the first time in quite a long time. These events marked the beginning of the revival of Orthodox pilgrimage that became one of key topics in the process of general ideological and socio-cultural transformation of the Russian society, and also in the context of a dialogue with Russian emigrants, who showed keen interest in events of church life in Russia and resumed visits to the Holy Land. The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (the IOPS) restored its historical name in 1992, having gained a wide popularity and public credibility, which subsequently contributed to the expansion of its multiple organizational, scientific and cultural ties with the Russian world, as well as with Russia-based organizations and agencies promoting cooperation with Russians living abroad. This process was promoted through Israeli authorities’ support to the activities of the IOPS as a whole and of its branches established in Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 2005. In 2008, the government of Israel made an official decision to transfer ownership of Sergey’s Courtyard, which housed the Jerusalem branch of the IOPS, to the Russian Federation. These events coincided with the final stage of canonical reunification between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which gave additional impetus for the Russian emigration to get closer to Russian religious and cultural institutions abroad, including the IOPS structures.
The Jerusalem branch of the IOPS is essential for establishing and developing scientific interaction between Russian scientists (historians, orientalists, biblical scholars) and their Israeli counterparts, including those representing the Russian-speaking community in Israel. Representatives of the IOPS branch in Jerusalem collaborate with specialists from the University of Jerusalem and the Ben Zvi Institute conducting research on the history and culture of the Holy Land and Jerusalem, but also with those from the School of Tourism in Haifa and several other educational institutions where IOPS staff give lectures to professors and academic personnel.
Since 2014, the IOPS branch in Jerusalem has been continuously cooperating with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, including through courses on “The Russian Trail in Jerusalem” for Israeli tour guides. The Sergius Readings named to honour the memory of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and dedicated to the history of the Holy Land, as well as the history of the IOPS itself are one of the forms of cultural and educational work of the IOPS Jerusalem branch. These lectures are a modern version of the Palestinian readings for pilgrims that the IOPS has been conducting before the Russian Revolution. Pilgrims, representatives of the Orthodox Church, scientists and artists from Israel, Russia, and the CIS countries take part in them, and as a result we can consider the Sergius Readings in Jerusalem as another platform for intellectual dialogue within the global system of the Russian world. For example, the Sergius Readings in February 2014 were attended by the participants of the 7th session of the Chief Editors Club of the CIS, Baltic States, and Georgia.[25]
The activities of the IOPS are carried out in line with Russia’s general foreign policy aimed at strengthening peace in the Middle East and expanding economic and cultural cooperation with the states of the region. Strengthening ties with Russian-speaking communities and programs promoting Russian language and culture abroad make a significant contribution to this end. The IOPS is directly involved in the preparation and implementation of such programs. Thus, the Russian Centre for Science and Culture (RCSC) was inaugurated in June 2012 in Bethlehem in the presence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. One of its premises was allocated to the office of the IOPS Bethlehem branch. The Center foundation and development project was implemented thanks to the collaboration between Rossotrudnichestvo, institutions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Palestinian Society through the sponsorship of Rosneft.
On July 3, 2012, the Voice of Russia broadcasted a conversation of Konstantin Kosachev, Head of Rossotrudnichestvo and Russian President’s Special Envoy for relations with CIS member-states, and Sergey Stepashin, Chairman of the IOPS and the Russian Book Union. This meeting was held on the occasion of the opening of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Palestine and was devoted to the role of Russian books in shaping the international image of Russia, as well as to cultural opportunities as a tool for exercising geopolitical influence. ‘Our center in Bethlehem,” said Konstantin Kosachev, ‘is a freestanding building in the historic center of Bethlehem with an area of more than 3 thousand meters. It is a two-storey building with large exhibition spaces, a concert hall, a choreography class and a music class. Of course, there are three classes for Russian lessons. There is everything that must be in a Russian cultural and scientific center.’ The head of Rossotrudnichestvo also emphasized that the RCSC in Palestine is a very timely and relevant institution, since about 3 thousand Russian citizens and several tens of thousands of Russian compatriots, including about 15 thousand graduates of Soviet and Russian universities live in this region. ‘This center will definitely attract not dozens, but hundreds, maybe even thousands of people every day,’ said Konstantin Kosachev. ‘In my opinion, no less important is the fact that this center emerged (I believe this is the first experience of the kind) as a unique model of public-private partnership,’[26] he added. Russian compatriots are particularly attracted by one of the units of the RCSC, namely by the library of Russian classical and modern books designed to store 3.5 thousand volumes, most of which had been brought to Bethlehem for the opening of the Center. The Russian Book Union, Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library, Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad and Rossotrudnichestvo acted as philanthropists who gave books to the newly established RCSC.
In March 2013, a memorable capsule was laid in the foundation of the first secondary school in Palestine with the study of Russian as the main foreign language. The ceremony was attended by the President of the IOPS, Sergey Stepashin. The IOPS carries out similar work in cooperation with agencies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, cultural organizations of Russian compatriots abroad, Orthodox episcopates and parishes in Egypt, Lebanon and other Christian countries of Early Christianity that traditionally attract the interest of pilgrims and tourists from Russia and the Russian world. The IOPS is also actively involved in the international social movement for protecting Christian population and international cultural heritage in Syria and other countries of the Middle East against attacks by Islamist terrorist groups, The participants emphasize that the opening of a Russian school in Palestine is important not only as a sign of respect for the traditions (before the Russian Revolution the IOPS managed 100 schools for Palestinian children there), but also as a factor for increasing Russia’s international standing.
On December 2, 2013, the Centre of Russian Culture in Tallinn hosted the opening ceremony of the Imperial Palestinian Orthodox Society’s branch in Estonia. A delegation from the Moscow branch of the association took part in the event. The opening of the IOPS office in the Estonian capital on December, 5 was also timed to coincide with the commemoration day of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II (Ridiger), who for many years was the Chairman of the IOPS Honorary Members Committee. This event was enthusiastically welcomed by Russian-speaking Estonian intellectuals, who perceived a newly established Estonian branch of the IOPS as another important dimension of cultural cooperation with Russia and the Russian world, and also as a contribution to the revival of spiritual traditions within the local Russian community. (In 1920s-1930s Estonia was an important centre of life for Russian Orthodox compatriots living abroad, while later on, Pühtitsa Convent remained one of the few active monasteries in the USSR). The IOPS contributed to the restoration of several Orthodox churches, the expansion of cultural, educational, and publishing activities targeting the Russian-speaking population, the increase in the number of tourists and pilgrims, which is also of great economic importance for Russian-speaking Estonians. In connection with the opening of the Estonian branch of the IOPS headed by the entrepreneur Alexander Volokhonsky, a photo exhibition on the history of Russian Palestine, prepared by George the Victorious Charitable Foundation in Estonia, was held. In April 2014, this exhibition moved to Narva Museum, where it also aroused great interest among Russian compatriots.
In Russia, the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society supports research, publishing, museum, and exhibition projects, including those related to the history and culture of the Russia abroad. The cooperation between the IOPS and Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad, which supports its organizational activities, exhibitions, presentations of the IOPS publications, etc. is quite characteristic. On 3 June 2014, Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad hosted a meeting of the Third Conference of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. (Since 2008, the Conference is the supreme governing body of the IOPS). In the lobby of the House of Russia Abroad a photo exhibition was held by the full member of the IOPS Vladimir Shelgunov with art photos of landscapes and memorable places of the Holy Land. The exhibition also had a IOPS souvenir shop. An address of the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, honorary member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, was read out at the opening of the Conference, stating, inter alia, the following:
IOPS’s activities, as the oldest community organization of our country, make a significant contribution to the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties between the peoples of Russia and the Middle East… The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to provide the Society all kinds of support in the implementation of its plans, which are envisaged to contribute to the reinforcement of Russia’s ties with the Holy Land, the establishment of the objective image of our country in the Middle East, and the promotion of an inter-sectarian and inter-inter-civilizationaldialogue.[27]
In April 2015, the Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad held an exhibition “Russians in Lebanon” to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Lebanon. The exhibition was organized by the House of Russia Abroad, the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Beirut and the Lebanese Cultural Orthodox Imperial Society, with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Lebanese Republic, the Embassy of the Lebanese Republic in the Russian Federation and the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. The exhibition presented unique artifacts from Lebanese and Russian archives, museums, libraries, and private collections related to Russian travelers visiting Lebanon, as well as the lives and activities of Russian diplomats, sailors, scientists, and entrepreneurs in Lebanon in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the life of the Russian community of Beirut, which primarily consisted of the first wave of Russian emigrants and their descendants. A separate section of the exhibition was devoted to the cultural and educational activities of the IOPS in Lebanon, including the Madaris Moscobiyeh (Moscow schools), which are still remembered with gratitude by the Lebanese intellectuals (many graduates of these schools now belong to the intellectual elite of the country). The concept of the exhibition and selection of exhibits was developed by representatives of the community of Russian compatriots in Lebanon, headed by Tatiana Baher (Kuvasheva), who had dedicated many years to the study of historical and cultural heritage of Russians in Lebanon. Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, the Director of the House of Russia Abroad Viktor Moskvin emphasized the role of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in the preparation and implementation of this project.
The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society acts as an additional link between the diasporas of the Russian world in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, France and other countries where Russian diasporas have preserved Orthodox pilgrimage traditions. For example, in October 2015, Sergei Stepashin visited the Russian House (Russian Centre of Science and Culture) in Belgrade to discuss the prospects for joint cultural and educational activities between IOPS and the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Serbia. The Palestine Society enjoys well-deserved authority among the intellectual elite of the Russian community abroad, enabling its members to contribute to the further successful cooperation within the global Russian world, in particular, relying on the leading international organizations of the Russian community abroad.
The IOPS periodicals (Orthodox Palestinian Collection and The Messenger of Jerusalem), research projects, international conferences held under the auspices of the Palestinian society are of great interest to many Russian compatriots abroad, both for theological scholars and artists who belong to the intellectual elite and for a wider Russian-speaking community.
In November 2015, the Chair of IOPS Sergei Stepashin held a meeting with an eminent representative of Russia abroad, Count Pyotr Sheremetev, Honorary President and Member of the Board of the International Council of Russian Compatriots and Rector of the Sergei Rachmaninoff Russian Conservatory of Paris. In 1960-1970s, Pyotr Sheremetev became renowned as an architect who designed a number of buildings in France and in the capitals of Arab countries. As a representative of the Russian emigrant community, Pyotr Sheremetev made significant efforts to preserve monuments of culture and art: in particular, he contributed to the decision of Paris authorities to allocate 1.2 million francs for the restoration of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the center of the Orthodox community in the Russian Paris. In 1979, he visited the USSR for the first time, and in 2002 he was granted Russian citizenship by Decree of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. As one of the leaders of the International Council of Russian Compatriots, Pyotr Sheremetev took part in the International Congresses of Russian Compatriots and various events dedicated to memorable dates and outstanding figures of Russian history. The topics discussed during the meeting included the patriotic education of the youth in Russia and abroad, as well as the prospects of opening an office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in Paris.
Many events held by IOPS coincide with the memorable dates of Russian history, which are traditionally of particular importance for the Russian communities in distant foreign countries, such as the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov (2013) and so forth. The IOPS representatives take part in various memorial historical and cultural events together with the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Military Historical Society and Russian compatriots abroad. The opening of a monument to Oleg Konstantinovich Romanov in Tsarskoye Selo in September 2015 was one of such events with the participation of the heads of the IOPS, the Russian Military Historical Society, and a number of other public associations in Russia and Russia abroad, members of the House of Romanov, and others.
Today RHS, RMHS, and IOPS bring together representatives of supreme governing and administrative bodies of Russia, as well as prominent scholars, artists, and cultural figures, who actively contribute to their management, agenda development and specific activities. This highlights the importance of their activities for the society and expands their organizational capacity. At the same time, these associations are in constant interaction with a wide range of Russian intellectuals, the army, the youth, the Orthodox clergy, etc., acting as organizers and participants of scientific conferences and public forums, various historical and memorial events, cultural and educational lectures, concerts. In doing so, they actively cooperate with each other on the aforementioned activities and long-term projects, as well as through individual and collective membership. As for the dialogue with the Russian world, it is also developing through the cooperation of the RHS, RMHS and IOPS with like-minded organizations sharing similar interests and having permanent strong ties with foreign compatriots.
Thus, at present one of the central themes of the dialogue between the state and public structures of the Russian Federation and Russia abroad is the emergence of a national historical consciousness in Russia. The importance of this aspect for the cooperation with Russia abroad has been repeatedly emphasized at various international events. Thus, for example, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, speaking at the IV World Congress of Compatriots, said:
At the stage of the steep change in international relations and the formation of a polycentric world order the task of preserving of the historical memory of the Russian world and its transmission to younger generations is especially important. We appreciate the initiative of the country organizations of compatriots on the conducting of the events dedicated to the memorable dates in Russian history, such as the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 celebrated this year. The work to counter attempts to falsify history, revise the results of World War II, desecration of the memory of the winners of fascism, glorification of the Nazis and their accomplices remains fully valid.[28]
In modern Russia, the State pays considerable attention to establishing objective ideas about the recent period of Russian history, which should form the basis of patriotic education of the younger generation of Russians. In this regard, in July 2014 during the meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations the President of Russia Vladimir Putin stressed the need to improve the quality of patriotic education of the youth: ‘We need constant systemic work to protect the country, our young people from the risks of national conflicts and to strengthen civil solidarity and inter-ethnic harmony.’
Constructive work on restoration of historical memory, shaping patriotic position of the youth, expansion of cultural dialogue with the compatriots living abroad is conducted by the United Russia party. In the second half of the 2000s, the party began to develop and implement the “Historical Memory” project. As part of the project, the United Russia party supports and oversees the protection and restoration of historical and cultural monuments, including objects historically and spiritually related to the world of the Russian compatriots abroad. Thus, for example, one of the first missions of this project was the restoration of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Theodore icon of St. Petersburg, which was carried out under the program of restoration of destroyed memorial churches in Russia. The text of the “Historical Memory” project emphasized that the work to restore this cathedral, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov, “can become a symbol of unification of Russian compatriots around the world, including the descendants of noble families who emigrated from Russia after the revolution.”[29] (Restoration work was successfully completed in 2013).
In February 2014, the United Russia party launched the “Compatriots” project, aimed at supporting Russian compatriots abroad and developing ties with public organizations of Russia abroad. The project includes several independent target programs, such as “Patriotism”, “Compatriots for Children”, “Education in Russia for Compatriots”, etc., with objectives associated with history and culture education. Under the Presidium of the General Council of the United Russia party, there is a Commission on Coordination and Cooperation with Compatriots Living Abroad, which participates in the preparation and organization of activities aimed at cooperation with foreign compatriots in the held of patriotic education of the younger generation.
In this context, the primary task is to preserve the true historical memory, and in particular to offer an objective assessment of the events of the Second World War (1939–1945), as well as the revolutions of 1917, the Civil War in Russia, and the entire Russian political history of the 20th century, which up to now remain the subject of rather heated scientific and public debates. The idea of presenting a fair view of the Russian history as one of the foundations of a modern national doctrine designed to unite the Russian society has been expressed repeatedly at the highest state level and at authoritative scientific and public forums. Thus, in November 2014, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin held a meeting with young teachers and scientists in the Museum of Contemporary History in Moscow and also with heads of scientific institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences and leading universities, in particular, the administration of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Universal History of the Russian Academy of Sciences. During the meeting, the President emphasized the need for objective teaching of the recent history of Russia as one of the most important substantive components of the modern national system of upbringing and education:
We see the attempts being made to recode society in many countries, and such attempts are being made to recode our society too. This always goes hand-in-hand with attempts to rewrite history and shape it to particular geopolitical interests. But history is a science and if you are serious about it, it cannot be rewritten.[30]
In his speech at the joint meeting of the Presidiums of the Council for Culture and Arts and the Council for Science, Technology and Education, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also noted the need to develop a common approach to the milestones of national history and the inadmissibility of attempts to revise the results of World War II and justify fascism.
The idea of the relevance of historical knowledge and the role of national historical consciousness in the public life of the country was expressed in the speech of the Chairman of the State Duma Sergei Naryshkin at the International Conference “History of Modern Russia: problems, documents, facts (1985–1999).”
On April 6, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the establishment of the “History of the Fatherland” foundation, whose mandate is to “popularize Russian history in our country and abroad, preserve the historical heritage and traditions of the peoples of Russia, support historical education programs.” In an interview to the Izvestia newspaper, the Director of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Petrov said: ‘Historical science and historiography need the attention of the state now more than ever before. Now history is a real battlefield, where both geopolitical interests and the interests of individual national elites are at stake.’[31]