Siberian general-governor's Jewish policy: general trend deviation

The present article is the outcome of long investigation of a subjective factor role in Siberian Jewish Legislation development. The author is analyzing some top class Siberian officials' opinions on the Jewish issue, legislation initiatives being formed in accordance with it. The basic investigation sources were introduced from the materials of one central and three regional archives containing business correspondence of Siberian General-Governors and Governors in which they displayed their thoughts about the rules for Jewish settlement in Siberia, resolutions of Governors and Principal Councils, later acknowledged (or not acknowledged) as laws. The examination of sources allowed to reveal stimulating reasons for any proposition, their efficiency or absurdity, official Petersburg's relation to regional initiatives. Obscurity and complexity of Jewish legislation was deepened by the fact that Siberia happened to be the territory with special rules for Jewish settlement. The reason was, first of all, in the fact that Jews could come to Siberia as exiled on the whole and so they were frustrated twice as exiled and Jews properly speaking; in general, they were limited in rights on the whole territory of the Russian Empire. In the course of investigation the author came to the following conclusions: though Siberian officials activities was loyal to imperial policy, remoteness of Siberian outskirts and impossibility to get orders from Petersburg promptly let Siberian administrators interpret legislation articles themselves in accordance with established ideas in the public opinion and their own views. Due to this, top class Siberian officials may be conventionally divided into two groups: liberals being eager to relieve Siberian Jews status and campaigners stick to antisemitism, interpreting legislation in order to tighten it, their initiatives worsening still hard Siberian Jews way of life. Initiatives of both groups often got the power of the law. To give them official status imperial power was guided with two often contradictory factors. The first one - general Jewish issue strategy immediately accepted in the regions. Imperial legislation tightening in connection with Jews led to their rights limitation in regions. The second one - taking into consideration Siberian Governors and GeneralGovernors' points of view, they knew all the aspects of Siberian countryside better and could suggest more reasonable variants.

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