Siberian Regionalism in the Period of Revolutions, 1905 - 1920: the Dynamic of the Programme’s Aims

<p style="text-align: justify;">The period of Russian revolutions stimulated the growth of Siberian regionalism and helped to shape new aims for the programme. Siberian regionalism is an intellectual, social and political movement which emerged in the early 1860s. The regionalists spoke for the greater welfare, greater autonomy and greater appreciation of the specific and peculiar needs for their homeland Siberia.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The general purpose of the paper is to characterize the features of the regionalists&rsquo; political programme and the dynamics of its change in the revolutionary period, to consider the major programme&rsquo;s aims in terms of relating them to the real political situation.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The more specific objectives of the study are as follows: (1) to analyze the content of programs regionalists from the First Russian Revolution to the end of the Civil War, (2) to identify the most discussed Siberian problems and to trace the evolution of views on them in the early XX century, (3) to characterize the practical steps of regionalists during the Civil War, (4) to consider some predictions about the future of the Siberian region in regionalists&rsquo; programme.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">To achieve this objective, the study is divided into three main chapters. Chapter One addresses the period of the Russian revolutions 1905 &ndash; 1907 and observes new questions and objectives raised in their course, creation of the Siberian regional union as a key step towards parliamentarism and increasing role of the State Duma in the course of regionalism. Chapter Two analyzes the February and October revolutions in 1917 considering revival of the regionalists&rsquo; ideas. It also gives an insight into three new directions in Siberian regionalism&rsquo;s thoughts and reflects on Siberian Regional Duma as an utopia. Chapter Three evaluates the regionalists&rsquo; stance in the civil war by studying activities of the Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia in terms of the programme&rsquo;s aims, observing actual independence of Siberia, work of new regionalist associations and, finally, the conflict of interest for Kolchak and regionalism.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The paper relies on the results of the application of historical research methods of work with sources. It is a specially-historical method of selected historical and genetic approach, which is the studying of the historical phenomenon in the process of its development. The source base of the paper consists of archival and published materials, among the latter the press occupies a special place.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the study, the author came to the following conclusions.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">1) During the First Russian Revolution was shaped a circle of significant issues for regionalists, including, for example, financial, educational, agricultural problem. This set of questions in the future had not changed.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">2) The dissociation of regionalists, which emerged already in the early XX century, turned into ideological differences and the appearance of several directions in 1917.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">3) Keenness on the Russian political struggle during the Civil War led to the ousting of the middle ground of Siberian projects. The lack of coordination between the Siberian Regional Duma and the Provisional Government was the result of Siberian destruction of the already fragile state system.</p>