The Future of Galicia in the Plans of the Russian People's Council

After the Brusilov Offensive, when Galicia (Eastern Galicia) was occupied by the Russian forces again, the Russian People's Council of Carpathian Rus composed some policy briefs for the military administration and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The briefs contain the information on the history of the land, the struggle of the local population for their ethnicity and faith, its ties with other Russian lands, contribution to Russian culture, ethnographic border and the number of Rusins in Austria-Hungary. The briefs aimed to help the Russian leadership and local Russian administration to avoid many mistakes of the first occupation of the region as well as to promote the full integration of the territory into the Russian Empire. The leaders of the Russian People's Council of Carpathian Rus considered it necessary to involve Russian Galicians in the local administrative managements and to use their experience and knowledge in local conditions. Assuming that the "Ukrainian question" and the further union development were harmful for the Russian statehood, it was proposed to separate the "Ukrainians" from the Uniate Church, for which sake it was necessary to change the Galician Uniate Diocese and appoint Austrian proteges of Russian Galicians. In turn, the Russian Orthodox clergy in Galicia was to be equal to the Uniate Church in professional, legal and financial aspects. It was also suggested that the Russian language should become official in Carpathian Rus to be used in educational institutions, which would close the so-called Ukrainian schools, undermining the unity of the Russian people and its culture. The authors advocated the introduction of a unified Russian terminology, the abolition of all confiscations, seizures and unauthorized requisitions from the war-stricken local population carried out by Austrian authorities.

Keywords

Authors

References