Udmurdid ja venelased. Rahvustevahelised suhted kuni Teise maailmasõjani

Udmurts and Russians. Interethnic relations up to the Second World War This article reflects on the history of the Udmurts and their relations with Russians from the late Middle Ages to the mid-20th century: how contacts with Russians developed before the incorporation of the Kazan khanate into Muscovy and what it meant for the smaller peoples who became part of the emerging Russian Empire. Special attention is paid to the process of Evangelization and its consequences, including the migration of many villagers to regions less exposed to Russian interference. I trace how Russian eastward migration led to a problematic, although not yet conflictual coexistence. I focus especially on the Soviet period, which was marked by contradictions: an initial period, during which the interests of smaller communities were genuinely acknowledged by the central authorities, was followed by a later phase, during which attempts to promote indigenous culture were treated as expressions of dangerous nationalism and repressed. As a result, by the end of the first half of the 20th century, the Udmurt intelligentsia had been almost completely destroyed following a tragic, staged process during which most of its main representatives were arrested and accused of separatism and seeking to bring the Finno-Ugric regions of central Russia under Finnish protectorate. Moreover, the fear of defending one’s culture persisted for decades, paralyzing the principal potential forces in the region.