THE FOREIN MENNONITEN RELIEF TO THE STARVING POPULATION OF THE SOVIET RUSSIA IN 1920s.

The article is devoted to the activity of the charitable organization «American Mennoniten Relief» (AMR) in Russia. Before the revolution mennonite colonies were considered as the exemplary economies, even in the comparison with the German settlements. But the revolution, civil war, hunger, economic policy of Bolsheviks have resulted their economy in the full decline. The representation extended in a society about mennonites as prosperous owners and «kulaks», has led further to stronger food pressing and absence of any state support during the hunger of the beginning of 1920s. Therefore the activity of foreign communities played, an important role in the help to starving mennonite. Using the materials of Povolzhia and Siberia the author shows the main directions, forms and methods of helping the population. Also the author shows the internal organization of AMR, the sources of fundses and analyzes the specifics of legal status of religious charitable organizations in Russia. The author comes to the conclusion that thanks to the timely help of AMR in the mennonite colonies of the Volga region and Siberia there were not cases of death for hunger.

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