The local authorities of the german lands and subjects of the colonization policy of the Russian empire abroad: the experience of the interaction

Author(s):  G.V. Ibneyeva, Dr., Kazan (Volga region) State University, Kazan, Russia, guzel.ibneyeva@yandex.ru

A.I. Lebedeva, Kazan (Volga region) State University, Kazan, Russia, performance0707@mail.ru

Issue:  Volume 46, № 2

Rubric:  Topical issues of russian history

Annotation:  This article deals with the problem of interaction of subjects of the Russian Empire’s colonization policy with the local authorities of foreign states in the 60s of the XVIII century. Based on archival sources, the authors identify the main subjects that illustrate the nature of the relationship of agents involved in recruiting and sending potential colonists to Russia, with magistrates of the German lands. It is noted that the relations of the subjects with the local German authorities evolved ambiguously. Thus, the Russian government was forced to adapt to the requirements of each individual region in Germany, since there was no single German state at that time. In addition, the direct mechanism for calling colonists to the Russian Empire was only in the initial formation and was not debugged. Furthermore, the lack of a clear structure in the hierarchy of the conductors of the colonization policy also adversely affected the relations between the German authorities and the agents of the Russian Empire. The authors conclude that the experience gained because of interaction with local authorities during this period, allowed to develop the main ways of solving the problems of development of uninhabited territories and had a significant impact on the colonization policy of the Russian Empire over the next decades.

Keywords:  colonization, summoners, commissioners, canvassers, messengers, conscription and the call of the colonists, the Empress Catherine II's colonization policy, the local authorities.

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