Russian-German confrontation in Baltic region in Russian publicism in the second half of the XIX century

Ethnic and religious diversity of Russia, supplemented by differences in economic and social development of ethnic regions, involved them to the attention of Russian intellectual elite, which was to take into account this aspect in the development of their national concepts. The growth of national consciousness on the outskirts of the national and the formation of nationalisms with alternative concepts of these objectives have made significant adjustments to the perceptions of the Russian intellectuals of the XIX century about the present and the future of Russia. Similarly for Russian journalism and conservative and liberal trends of the second half of the XIX century was the perception about ethnic relations in the Baltic region as a confrontation between the two national projects, to compete not only within the region, but throughout Eastern Europe. Baltic Germans saw no independent group, as part of the German nation, aspiring to be reunited with her in the framework of a single state. Therefore, always visibly present foreign policy aspect in national issues edges. It draws a direct analogy with the situation of Poles in the western region, where they were strangers-conquerors and were the elite of society. But unlike the Poles, ethnic lands which were partially within the empire, which recognized its existence as a nationality, Baltic Germans those ethnic territories within the borders of the empire, and did not have as a separate nationality were not considered. Drinking German domination of the Baltic States were jointly and negative difference is the way to deal with it. Only the representatives of the current imperial Meshchersky considered the German nobility loyal support of the autocracy and the optimal existing relationships as they resisted the penetration of nihilism and contributed to the preservation of national unity. The autochthonous peoples represent victims of German nationalism, sought to assimilate them. Therefore all directions welcomed awakening their national identity and advocated the development of national languages and culture. Russification in this case meant opposition to Germanization. But if Slavophiles and Katkov evaluated skeptical own potential of these peoples and believed that the choice was between the Russian and German orientation, the liberals were in support of their national identity development. Almost all Russian commentators noted the imposition of national opposition in the province social, as its elite were Germans, and the lower classes of the urban population and the peasants were autochthonous peoples. Slavophiles and liberals believed that self-development and support of farms will contribute to the weakening of the German monopoly.

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