Exiled jews in the political life of the Irkutsk province at the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX century

The purpose of the article is to determine the number of Jews in the number of political exiles, as well as to identify their role in the radical political participation of the Irkutsk province in the 1880s - 1900s. The source base consists of documents from the State Archives of the Irkutsk Region, the State Archives of Modern and Contemporary History of the Irkutsk Region, most of which were not introduced into scientific circulation, as well as sources of personal origin. It will be recalled that in the first half of the XIX century. Jews, due to their social isolation, were still far from participating in the country's radical social and political organizations. Jews did not take a noticeable part in the student movement of the late 1830s and 1840s. They also were not represented among the Petrashevites.The criminal and political exile of Jews became most active in the second half of the 19th century. By the 1880s, they are in the second place after the Russians in the radical anti-government parties. And then their number continues to increase; by the end of the 19th century, their number in the left-wing radical parties grew rapidly. During the study, the authors came to the following conclusions: Jews in the composition of political exiles of the Irkutsk province in the late 19th - early 20th centuries occupied a significant, and sometimes leading position, behind only of the Russian workers; Нaving education and work experience, Jews, who were political exiles, got a job in numerous trade and purchasing establishments of Irkutsk, expeditions to supply the northern territories, banks, wholesale shops, and warehouses without much difficulty. They successfully served in printing houses, transport shops, tanneries and even on the railroad, thereby developing the Siberian region, which needed professionals in new industries; Urban communities of Jews, not accepting revolutionary propaganda, provided sympathy and support to exiled Jews, being interested in them as teachers for their children; It was the political exiles who made the newspaper Vostochnoye Obozreniye agenuine center of opposition life, due to the notable levels of education and outstanding thoughts; Before the first Russian revolution, a large number of political exiled Jews were concentrated in Irkutsk. They exerted an active influence on the work of the opposition, which incurred the displeasure of local authorities, who were trying to limit the exile of Jews to the Siberian region. In general, the history of the Irkutsk province of the post-reform period is inextricably linked to the exile of the Jews. Although the Jews had been removed from the normal social environment and experienced significant material deprivation in Siberia, they influenced the social life of local people, had a noticeable positive impact on the local society, contributed to the growth of its self-awareness, civic consciousness and political culture.

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