Russian Liberal Émigrés in the Civil War and Their View on the National Issue

Russian Liberal Émigrés in the Civil War and Their View on the National Issue in the Context of the New World Order

This presentation aims to introduce my research, which examines how Russian liberals addressed the nationalities question on the eve of the October Revolution and during the Russian Civil war. Before the First World War, Russian liberals argued in favour of greater cultural independence for non-Russians in the Empire, but envisioned control over them similar to the way Great Britain controlled its colonies. After 1914, Russian liberals became more conservative in their views. Even after the war in the post-imperial world order, while Russia was struggling through the Civil War, liberals kept the old way of thinking of Russians as a greater nation, for which it is justifiable to dominate smaller states around.

The presented research project aims to contribute to wider studies of particularities of Russian liberalism in comparison to Western liberalism. 

About the presenter:

Julia Klimova is a first year MPhil/PhD candidate at UCL SSEES. Her broader research interests include modern Russian history, history of Russian liberalism and history of national identities in Russian Empire.