Russian attitudes toards Germans (Baltic & otherwise)

[Vera Beljakova]

"ostzeiskii vopros" - 
Since Richard doesn't read/know Russian

"ostzeiskii vopros" - Ostsee Question / Ostsee Frage
"ostzeiskii nemetz" - Ostsee Gerrman (Baltic)

On the other hand the Baltic Germans were the mainstay of the 
Russian Empire (military & civil service ...or are these now counted as
'russified Germans' ?

A very good publication is that by Dr Michael Katin-Yartsew who wrote
his doctoral thesis on the 'Baltic German (nobility) in the Service of the
Russian Empire".

Vera Beljakova
Johannesburg

 

  Subject:Re: [SEELANGS] A poem of Apollon N. Maikov
 


 
 
 
 Dear Richard, 

Since you are researching "late Imperial Russian attitudes towards Germans", I thought you would be interested to know that years ago I came across a little known brochure by the historian and journalist M. P. 
Pogodin (editor of “Moskovskii vestnik”and “Moskovitianin”) entitled 
“Ostzeiskii vopros” (1869). In this pamphlet, the author addresses 
Professor Shirren, an “ostzeiskii nemets” who occupied the position of Dean 
of the Department of History and Law at the University of Derpt (Tartu). 
Below I quote a characteristic passage in my clumsy translation: 
“For us, all Germans fall into three categories: 1) The German Germans, the 
residents of Germany – we honor and respect them as a first class European 
nation. 2) The Russian Germans, those Germans who became russified, who 
serve our state and live among us – we love them and are grateful to them 
for the many services they have rendered to us. 3) The ostzeiskie Germans, 
those who are the most viciously antagonistic to us. Their existence and 
attitude to us well justify the proverb: “One could not make an enemy for 
himself unless one gave him food and drink with his own hand.” You, the 
ostzeiskie Germans, hate us in your hearts. And this hatred is the most 
convincing proof of your own malady.” 

Regards, 

Yevgeny Slivkin, Ph.D. 
Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 
University of Oklahoma 



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