Twentieth Centrury Russian Migration to Europe: Between Assimilation and Preserving of Russian Cultural Heritage

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    • Presentation speakers
      • German Mendzheritskiy, Librarium Archives Russe de la Presse Ancienne

    Abstract:

    During the 20-th century at least four waves of migrants from the territory of former Russian Empire, USSR and former Soviet Union moved to Europe. Although Europe was not the only destination for migration from this territory, but most of migrants were passing through Europe or stayed there life long. The backgrounds and reasons for these waves of migration differ strongly and consequently vary the basic behavioral model and life paradigm of Russian migrants. The largest amount of migrants came at the beginning of the 20-th century as the result of the revolution and the civil war, and at the end of the 20-th century after the dissolution of Soviet Union. The two other minor migrant waves took place immediately after the Second World War and in the 1960-1970. The after revolution migrants were forced to leave Soviet Russia, because most of them fought against or did not accept the Bolshevik power. Many of them understood their migration as the way of preserving Russian culture and saving it for the new generations from the influence of new Bolshevik power. As writer Nina Berberova wrote ‘We are not in exile, we are on a mission’. The migrants to Europe at the end of the 20-th century were mostly ethnic or economic migrants escaping uncertainty and economic problems of the countries of the former Soviet Union. Although because of other reasons part of them also is devoted to preserve the Russian culture in European surroundings. The report is devoted to the analysis of the difference between the waves of the Russian migration in Europe and its modern situation.