Ways to resolve the national issue in Russia. Socio-ethnic communities as subjects of the political process See what the “National Question” is in other dictionaries

Interethnic contradictions arise in multinational states, as a rule, due to the clash of interests of the wealthy upper strata of the ethnic groups inhabiting a given state, and the broadest strata of the population are directly interested in a consistently democratic solution to the national question. This is explained by the fact that the masses primarily feel the brunt of any form of ethno-national discrimination. And they, first of all, become victims, bear the brunt interethnic conflicts and collisions Saak A.E., Tagaev A.V. Demography: Tutorial. / A.E. Saak, A.V. Tagaev. Taganrog: TRTU Publishing House, 2003. - 99 p.

The only path that leads to the establishment of peace in such states is a consistent democratic solution to the national question. For this it is necessary: ​​- ensuring complete and unconditional equality of all nations inhabiting the state and all languages. Why is it necessary to adopt a law enshrined in the Constitution;

eradication and prohibition of any discrimination or, conversely, any privileges on racial, ethno-national, religious or linguistic grounds;

absence state language and ensuring that local languages ​​are taught in schools;

republican, legal, secular, democratic structure of the state; local autonomy on a national (ethnic) basis and democratic local self-government.

In this regard, I would like to note one very important circumstance: never in the last 300 years has Russia’s international position been as difficult and complex as it is now. At the same time (October 27 - November 1, 1991), by order of D. Dudayev, elections of the President and Parliament of Chechnya were held and his decree was promulgated: “On declaring the sovereignty of Chechnya.” Is it a coincidence that these events coincide in time? The number of such examples, unfortunately, can be increased.

In the current situation it is difficult to overestimate the importance of funds mass media, the role they played, are playing and will be able to play in the future in solving problems related to the national question and national movements in Russian Federation.

Many specific examples could be given showing how the media contribute to the formation of negative ethnic, racial and religious stereotypes.

In our opinion, propaganda in the media should be condemned in the strongest possible terms: demands and calls to grant privileges or carry out any discrimination against citizens (in economic, social, cultural and political spheres activities) based on their race, nationality or religion;

ideas about the original (natural) superiority or inferiority of any race, nation, people (large or small), any religious denomination;

negative characteristics of individual representatives of any race, nation or denomination (in connection with their commission of serious illegal acts) with the aim of spreading them to the entire racial, ethnic community or religious denomination to which they belong;

demands for collective responsibility of all members of a racial, ethnic or religious community for unlawful acts committed by individual members Bagdasaryan V. Is demography controllable? // Power. - 2006. - No. 10. - P. 25-31;

It seems appropriate that systematic violation of these moral and ethical provisions should entail termination of registration and prohibition of the activities of any mass media body.

As for the political and other circles of any multinational state interested in the prosperity and strengthening of its independence and unity, they, first of all, must carry out the daily and painstaking work of Esin A.B. Demography: Textbook. M.: Academy, 2003 - 216 p. :

to establish real (and not formal) equality in all spheres of life of representatives of large and small nations inhabiting a given state;

to overcome ideas about national (ethnic) exclusivity, as well as national egoism, inertia, and limitations;

to eliminate the mistrust that has accumulated for centuries among small nations towards their more numerous neighbors.

Only such tireless work (supported by broad, consistent democratic transformations in all spheres of economic, social, cultural and political life) can provide international peace in multinational states, strengthen their unity, make it impossible for the emergence and spread of separatist sentiments and tendencies.

When carrying out legal, administrative and other reforms in the Russian Federation that affect the interests of any of its peoples, it is necessary to abandon the mechanical, standard bureaucratic approach to their planning and implementation. A careful, strictly individual account of the peculiarities of the territorial distribution of any nation - large or small - is necessary; its historical heritage; economic and cultural traditions; features environmental situation in the places of his residence; the consequences that a particular reform can have on the standard of living of a given people, its spiritual and material culture.

The following main areas are identified conflict situations in a multinational state: 1) relations between central authorities and republics (lands, states, cantons, etc.); 2) relations between union republics (states); 3) relations within the union republics between autonomous entities; 4) problems of national groups in republics (states), as well as nationalities that do not have their own national-state entities; 5) problems of divided nations. All of them are derivatives of the main contradiction caused by the existence of two trends in the development of nations.

First: the awakening of national life and national movements, the creation of independent national states. Second: the development of all kinds of relations between nations based on the process of internationalization, breaking down national borders, strengthening mutual cooperation, integration processes. These two trends are the source of the development of socio-ethnic processes. It is not enough to theoretically recognize their existence; it is necessary to remove all obstacles to their action.

National question can act as a problem of socio-economic development, as well as culture, language, and even environmental protection. But his production always contains political aspect. Speaking as a question political democracy, each time he reveals the inferiority of some aspect of the existing political system, again raising the problem of equality.

The development and progress of a nation can be the result of a certain policy, the implementation of which is a function of the national-state organization. The issue of equality and the equal rights of nations must not be confused. There cannot be absolute equality; equality is determined by national policy.

Political science. Dictionary. - M: RSU. V.N. Konovalov. 2010.

National question

1) a set of political, economic, territorial, legal, ideological and cultural relations between nations, national groups and nationalities in different historical eras;

2) this is a question about the reasons for the emergence of mistrust, hostility and conflicts between nations, on the one hand and existing system authorities in a multinational society - on the other, about the forms, methods and conditions of its solution in the interests of peaceful coexistence and good neighborliness, the progress of nations on the basis of equality, sovereignty and democracy. It is mainly formed and manifested in multinational countries. In a broad sense, the national question is a global question, and as such it cannot be reduced to a simple mechanical set of similar questions in multinational countries.

Political Science: Dictionary-Reference Book. comp. Prof. Science Sanzharevsky I.I.. 2010 .

Political science. Dictionary. - RSU. V.N. Konovalov. 2010.

See what the “National Question” is in other dictionaries:

The totality of political, economic, legal, ideological. and cultural relations between nations, nationalities, nationalities. (ethnic) groups in different societies. economical formations. N.v. arises in an exploitative society during the struggle of nations and... Philosophical Encyclopedia

The totality of political, economic, territorial, legal, ideological and cultural relations between nations, national groups and nationalities in various historical eras... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

NATIONAL QUESTION, a set of political, economic, territorial, legal, ideological and cultural relations between nations (see NATION), national groups and nationalities (see NATIONALITY) in various historical eras... Encyclopedic Dictionary

English national problems/question; German nationale Frage. 1. A set of specific problems related to national oppression and inequality and their elimination. 2. Problems of political, economic, territorial, legal, ideological. and cult, relations between nations,... ... Encyclopedia of Sociology

The set of political, economic, territorial, legal, ideological and cultural relations between Nations, national groups and nationalities (See Nationality) in various socio-economic formations. IN… … Great Soviet Encyclopedia

A set of political, economic, legal, ideological. and other problems that arise during the struggle of nations and peoples for their independence, for favorable internal state. and international conditions further development, as well as in the process of establishing... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

national question- in Africa. N.v. is acute in most African states and its unresolved impact significant influence both on internal political life and on the implementation of various social, economic and cultural character.… … Encyclopedic reference book"Africa"

National question- A journalistic expression used to denote a range of problems related to relations between nationalities (nations, nationalities, ethnic groups etc.), interacting, as a rule, within the framework of a single multinational... ... Dictionary of sociolinguistic terms

national question- Designation in journalism of a range of problems related to relations between nations, nationalities, ethnic groups, etc., interacting within the framework of a multinational state in social economic sphere, spheres of culture, language, in... ... Dictionary of linguistic terms T.V. Foal

National question- Designation in journalism of a range of problems related to relations between nations, nationalities, ethnic groups, etc., interacting within the framework of a multinational state in the socio-economic sphere, spheres of culture, language, in... ... General linguistics. Sociolinguistics: Dictionary-reference book

Books

• National question. Constantinople and St. Sophia, Evgeny Nikolaevich Trubetskoy. In the work “The National Question, Constantinople and Hagia Sophia”, book. E. N. Trubetskoy strives to comprehend the events of the First World War in the light of the Sophia metaphysics of V. S. Solovyov. Thinking about...

Already at dawn human history people tended to unite into communities, first on the basis of consanguinity, and then on territorial grounds. Tribes arose, then tribal unions, which, with the advent of state power began to transform into large state entities. But they, despite all their external power and sometimes high level of culture, were rather fragile. Trade ties between their individual territories were practically absent or very weak. Numerous groups of the population of such states, often included in them by force, differed from each other in language, culture, level of economic development and other characteristics, which did not allow them to consider themselves something united and whole. For some time they held out only by force of arms and the need to unite against the threat of attack by external enemies. History shows that all the empires of antiquity and the Middle Ages, created by conquering peoples, did not have a historical perspective, although they sometimes existed for a very long time. Such was the fate of the Roman Empire, which was not helped even by the spread of Roman and Latin citizenship to the conquered territories, the empire of the Franks of Charlemagne, the Golden Horde, etc.

The Old Russian state had less aggressive tendencies than other states, but still the weakness of internal economic ties led it to disintegrate into separate territories and subsequently to dependence on the Golden Horde (see Mongol invasion, Horde yoke and its overthrow).

At that time, in the Russian principalities, in the absence of state unity, the bulk of the population needed to somehow distinguish themselves from others according to the principle: “us” - “stranger”. This found expression in religion, which became a powerful ideological force. The idea of ​​unity to fight for the Christian faith supported the Russians in the revival of the Russian state. It is no coincidence that in the fight against Mamai, which ended with the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich turned for help to the most authoritative among the people, the abbot and abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Sergius of Radonezh, whose support largely ensured the success of the unification of almost all Russian princes under Moscow banner. This is already a manifestation of the national question in religious form, the first milestones of national self-awareness.

But religion could not become a long-term basis public policy of any country. Ivan Kalita calmly took part in the punitive campaign of the Horde troops, without thinking about issues of faith. In the 15th century Grand Duke Moscow Ivan III entered into an alliance with the Crimean Khan Mengli-Girey against the Christian, albeit Catholic, Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir, without experiencing the slightest remorse. During the Great Embassy of Peter I to Europe with the aim of creating an anti-Ottoman coalition, European diplomats quickly explained to the Russian Tsar that the union of Christian peoples against the infidel Turks was, of course, a good thing, but less important than the problems that had arisen in the struggle for the Spanish inheritance. Already in the 19th century. Ottoman Empire repeatedly participated in European coalitions, speaking on the side of some Christian states against others. Thus, the national question no longer acquired so much a religious as a state character.

The process of development of capitalism with the formation of a single intrastate market, intensive exchange of goods between separate territories, on the one hand, contributed to the breakdown of internal borders, the disappearance or weakening of language dialects and the consolidation of the population into one nation; on the other hand, it came into conflict with the natural desire of peoples to preserve national identity, culture, lifestyle, etc. different countries They tried to cope with this problem in their own way, but it was never possible to achieve a universal solution.

Over time, as a result of the colonial policies of the leading European powers, the national question came into new phase, since the colonial empires became multinational states, where the nation of the metropolitan country acted as an oppressor in relation to the peoples of the colonies, which in turn led to an intensification of the national liberation struggle on their part. By the beginning of the 20th century, when the world was already practically divided, the national question increasingly began to acquire an interstate character, since clashes large states because of the redivision of the world were explained by their national interests.

In Russia, the national question had a special specificity. The process of development of capitalist relations was slower here than in most European countries, and the territory of the state continued to expand, annexing areas where peoples lived, sometimes even at a pre-feudal level of development. At the same time, the state tried not just to roughly exploit new territories, but to include them in its economic system. This led to the fact that Russia became a more durable multinational state than, for example, Austria-Hungary, and interethnic contradictions in it were somewhat less acute than in a number of other countries, although they represented a serious problem.

From the 16th to the 19th centuries. included in Russian state included Siberia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Poland, the Baltic States, Finland and a number of other territories, completely different on economic, cultural, religious and other levels (see the Caucasus joining Russia, Siberia and Far East development, Central Asia annexation to Russia, Partitions of Poland). By the beginning of the 20th century. actually Russian population in Russia it was less than 50%. About 200 peoples lived in the country, each of which represented a unique social system.

Russia was a unitary state with a strictly centralized system of government, where the possibility of self-government of any of its individual territories was not assumed. True, in practice a number of exceptions were allowed: Finland had some elements of autonomy; the constitutional system in Poland existed for a relatively short time; in Central Asia there were formally independent Bukhara and Khiva khanates, but in reality they were completely dependent on the Russian government.

In its attempt to resolve national contradictions, Russia was characterized by a certain flexibility. Thus, the rich ruling elite of the annexed peoples were included in the elite and received the rights of the Russian nobility. Non-Russian peoples gave Russia many outstanding military and statesmen, scientists, artists, composers, writers (Shafirov, Bagration, Krusenstern, Loris-Melikov, Levitan, etc.). The government tried to pay attention to local national traditions and customs. Thus, famous saying V.I. Lenin’s idea of ​​Russia as a “prison of nations” was a significant exaggeration that pursued specific political goals. In the same way, any number of people could be called a “prison of nations” nation state of that time.

And yet national relations in Russian Empire cannot be imagined as an idyll. Interethnic conflicts periodically flared up there, often escalating into open clashes with considerable casualties. The Jewish population was subjected to severe discrimination. It was limited in the right of residence and free movement; the only exceptions were merchants of the first guild and persons with a university education (see Merchants). At the beginning of the 20th century. in a number of Russian cities there were bloody Jewish pogroms. The Polish population was also in an unequal position. Numerous legal restrictions were placed on Poles in the civil service and in the army. In 1898, an uprising broke out among the Uzbeks of the then Fergana region, dissatisfied with the policy of the tsarist administration towards the Muslim population. It was headed by the extremely popular local religious leader Dukchi Ishan. The uprising was brutally suppressed - all the villages where the leaders of the uprising lived were razed to the ground. In 1916, an uprising took place under the leadership of A. Imanov in Central Asia.

Interethnic conflicts occurred in Russia not only between Russians and the national population. IN late XIX- early 20th century Armenian-Tatar relations sharply worsened, resulting in a real massacre.

To solve the national question it was proposed various options. According to one of them, it was necessary to provide national minorities with cultural and national autonomy without the right of state secession. This decision put them in an unequal relationship with other peoples. Another way is to recognize the rights of a nation to self-determination, up to and including secession and the formation of an independent state. This, however, contradicted the global trend of internationalization of the economy and the formation of large states. The theory of socialist teachings recognized the national question as insoluble within the framework of the existence of capitalist public relations. Only with their elimination will the basis for interethnic conflicts disappear, and, consequently, the national question will be resolved.

After October Revolution In 1917, an attempt to implement these provisions was made during the formation of the USSR. The USSR was a federation of national states, i.e. a country where, in the presence of a single central power, its individual state entities(in this case national) were given greater independence in resolving internal issues. It was assumed that the unification of workers would eliminate the reasons prompting peoples to separate them from Russia, although such a right was recorded in the “Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia” in November 1917. In the USSR formed in 1922, this right was enshrined in the Constitution (see Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). It was believed that joint defense from the capitalist encirclement, socialist construction, and the voluntary unification of the union republics would help bring the peoples of the USSR closer together and unite them into one union multinational state. At a certain stage this was indeed the case, which allowed the USSR to build a powerful economy and win a difficult Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

This is precisely what served as the initial thesis for the assertion that in the USSR the national question has been completely and finally resolved. To some extent, interethnic contradictions were smoothed out, but they were not completely eliminated, since the ideas of socialism were implemented in the USSR in a distorted form and their practical implementation did not coincide with the theory. The independence of the union republics was largely formal. The right to secede from the USSR practically could not be used (and it was not intended). In addition, in the 30-40s. many peoples (Germans, Balkars, Kalmyks, Crimean Tatars etc.) were forcibly deported from the places where they lived (see Mass political repression in the USSR in the 30s - early 50s). The economic policy of the central government often led to the one-sided development of the union and autonomous republics. National and cultural traditions peoples were often not taken into account, etc. As a result interethnic problems were driven deep. With the collapse of the USSR they broke out with new strength. Currently, the national question in the Russian Federation and countries former USSR represents one of the most important state problems. Historical experience shows that attempts to solve it by force have little prospects. Life requires a search for new forms of solving the national question.

The most convincing theoretical interpretation of the nature of the national-ethnic phenomenon seems to me to be the theory of ethnogenesis. Ethnicity is a group of people naturally formed on the basis of an original behavioral stereotype, existing as a system that contrasts itself with other similar systems, based on a sense of complement (a subconscious feeling of mutual sympathy and community of people, which determines the division of society into friends and foes). Ethnic groups are formed and developed under the influence of both natural and sociohistorical factors, interaction with other ethnic groups, the transmission of an original stereotype of behavior through inspiration - the reproduction of culture. This theory is based on various features that characterize an ethnic group (culture, natural factors, sociohistorical), while other theories characterize the nature of the national-ethnic phenomenon, relying on a certain feature:

Racial-anthropological approach (characterizes the origin of races, its characteristics, differences);

The Merkai theory of nations states that the nature of nations is social, biological factors do not play a significant role;

Language theory and ethnomethodology argues that the main difference between nations is language, and it plays a key role in the life of nations;

Ethnocentrism - states that an ethnic community arises on the basis of the universal property of human nature to divide the world into “us” and “strangers” and use a sense of solidarity, sympathy and unity towards members of the “own” group, and hostility and unity towards “strangers”. aggression. It is impossible to know the theoretical interpretation of the nature of a national-ethnic phenomenon based only on any specific feature. If this happens, then it is given great attention to any one specific characteristic, while others in at the moment as if they were absent. And if you choose any other approach listed above, then it is impossible to obtain a complete picture of the nature of the national-ethnic phenomenon.

What is the essence of the national question? What are the features of its manifestation in Russia?

I see the essence of the national question in the fact that it comes down to the problem of national inequality, oppression and exploitation of one nation by another. It's very acute at the moment this question costs in Russia. Take, for example, Russia's relationship with Chechnya. Currently, Chechnya is “independent”, but Russia does not let it leave its territory. After all, it was Chechnya that decided that Russia is an oppressor and forces them to live not according to its own laws. Therefore, they decided to secede from the Russian Federation in order to have independence, and to do and live as they themselves want, and not as they are told.

Evaluate the arguments presented in defense of the recognition of the right of nations to self-determination, firstly, from the point of view of logic and, secondly, from the point of view of political practice, paying special attention to the experience of Western states that so actively defend it in international relations.

Every nation has the right to be protected in a state from other nations or to further create its own national state. However, from a logical point of view this is impossible. If many states are created in which each nation separately will live, this may lead to catastrophic consequences: constant wars, destruction of one nation by another, growth of extremism. All this can lead to the destruction of nations and the degradation of humanity completely as individuals.

Above we discussed theoretical and methodological problems relating to certain concepts of ethnic sociology, interethnic relations, their types and main development trends, as well as problems of interaction on national interests, their awareness and taking into account national policies. We have come close to the so-called national issue theoretical and practical aspects of its solution in modern conditions.

National question is a system of interrelated problems of the development of nations (peoples, ethnic groups) and national relations. It integrates the main problems of practical implementation and regulation of these processes, including territorial, environmental, economic, political, legal, linguistic, moral and psychological.

The national question does not remain unchanged; its content changes depending on the nature of the historical era and the content of actually existing interethnic relations. It seems that in modern conditions the main content of the national question is free and comprehensive development of all peoples, expansion, their cooperation and the harmonious combination of their national interests.

National-ethnic revival

A striking feature of the modern era is national-ethnic revival many peoples and their desire to independently solve the problems of their lives. This happens in virtually all regions of the world and primarily in the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This happened very actively in the USSR, and today in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Among the main reasons for the ethnic revival of peoples and the increase in their political activity are called the following:

the desire of peoples to eliminate all elements of social injustice leading to restrictions on their rights and development opportunities within the framework of former colonial empires and some modern federal states;

the reaction of many ethnic groups to the processes associated with the spread of modern technological civilization, urbanization and so-called mass culture, leveling the living conditions of all peoples and leading to the loss of their national identity. In response to this, peoples are even more actively advocating for the revival of their national culture;

the desire of peoples to independently use natural resources located on their territories and playing an important role in meeting their vital needs.

To one degree or another, these reasons manifest themselves in the process of modern ethnic revival of the peoples of the Russian Federation. These include reasons of a socio-political nature related to the desire of peoples to strengthen and develop their national statehood, their reaction to the destructive actions of modern technical civilization and mass culture, as well as the determination of peoples to independently manage their natural resources. They believe that the struggle for economic and political independence will help them more successfully solve all life's problems. Practice, however, has shown that, firstly, all peoples need to use their political rights very carefully, because each of them must take into account the same rights of other peoples. And secondly, one should always remember that the national revival of any people is possible only with its close cooperation and real (and not imaginary) commonwealth with other peoples with whom it has historically developed economic, political and cultural ties.

Mutually beneficial cooperation between peoples can only be developed on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for their fundamental rights. These rights are enshrined in many documents of international organizations, including the United Nations (UN). We are talking about the following rights of all peoples :

the right to existence, prohibiting so-called genocide and ethnocide, i.e. destruction in any form of any people and their culture;

the right to self-identification, i.e. determination by citizens themselves of their nationality;

the right to sovereignty, self-determination and self-government;

the right to preserve cultural identity, including the areas of language and education, cultural heritage and folk traditions;

the right of peoples to control the use natural resources and resources of the territories of their residence, the relevance of which has especially increased due to the intensive economic development of new territories and the aggravation of environmental problems;

the right of every people to access and use the achievements of world civilization.

The practical implementation of the above-mentioned rights of all peoples means a significant step towards optimal solution national issue for each of them and all together. In this case, a deep and subtle consideration of all related objective and subjective factors is necessary, as well as overcoming many contradictions and difficulties of an economic, political and purely ethnic nature.

Many of these contradictions and difficulties were encountered by the reform of the political system in the USSR and its former republics, including Russia. Thus, the natural and completely understandable desire of peoples for independence, in its practical implementation, gave rise to strong and largely unpredictable centrifugal tendencies, which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, which was unexpected for many (not only citizens, but entire republics). Today they cannot exist and develop safely without preserving, as they now say, a single economic, environmental, cultural and information space. The fleeting collapse of what had developed over centuries and on which the existence of peoples was based could not but affect their current situation.

Many negative consequences are currently unpredictable. But some are already visible and causing concern. That is why a number of republics that were part of the USSR, and now members of the CIS, are raising the question of creating structures that would regulate interstate relations between them in the field of economics, ecology, cultural exchange, etc. This is an objective necessity that finds its understanding in Russia. It is clear, however, that establishing equal and mutually beneficial cooperation between the CIS states will require resolving many issues, including psychological and ideological, related, in particular, to overcoming nationalism and chauvinism in the minds and behavior of people, including many politicians acting at different levels of legislative authorities of these states.

The national issue in the Russian Federation is acute in its own way. There are achievements and as yet unresolved problems. In fact, all the former autonomous republics changed their national-state status by their decisions. The word “autonomous” has disappeared from their names, and today they are simply referred to as republics within the Russian Federation (Russia). The range of their competencies has expanded, and their state and legal status within the Federation has increased. A number of autonomous regions also declared themselves independent and independent republics within Russia. All this simultaneously increases and equalizes their state-legal status with all the republics within the Russian Federation.

However, along with these generally positive phenomena, there are also negative ones. First of all, increasing state independence and independence of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation sometimes coexists with manifestations of nationalism and separatism, both in ideology and in real politics. Some of the separatists are seeking to disrupt the unity and integrity of the Russian state, trying to organize a confrontation between their republic and the central legislative and executive bodies of Russia, pursuing a policy of secession of their republic from the Russian Federation. Such actions are carried out exclusively in the selfish interests of individual politicians and narrow groups of nationalists, since the majority of the population will only suffer from this. As experience shows, the nationalist and separatist policies of individual leaders, political groups and parties cause great damage to the republics, primarily to their economic development, as well as to the material, political and spiritual interests of the peoples of these republics and all of Russia. Peoples are connected not only by economic ties, but also in many ways common destiny, or even blood relationship, if we mean significant specific gravity interethnic marriages in virtually all parts of Russia.

Nationalist and separatist policies, as well as great-power chauvinism, no matter who they come from, lead to national conflicts, since they are initially aimed at pitting some nations against others, the collapse of their cooperation, and the creation of distrust and enmity.