Abstract:

This study aims to analyze the development of Russian national consciousness and Russian nationalism from a historical perspective. In order to understand the development of Russian national consciousness, and since a strong current in Russian nationalism today finds its roots in prerevolutionary Russia, it is important to analyze the development of Russian nationalism in the period up to 1917. This study is about the development of Russian nationalism until the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia in 1917. First, the building blocks of early Russian identity will be examined, and then, after discussing the development of Russian national consciousness in the end of the 17th century and the 18th century, the focus will be on the development of Russian nationalism at the beginning of the 19th century. This study will emphasize the role of the state and intellectuals, and how different currents of Russian nationalism define themselves and the Russian nation. In the last part of this study, the nationalist movements of the early 20th century and the regime's growing sense of Russianness, the policies of the Russian Empire in line with its official nationalism, and the consequences of this situation will be discussed.

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