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Entries / Russians

Russians


Categories / Population/Ethnic Groups

RUSSIANS, the basic ethnic community of St. Petersburg. The Russian language is related to the Slavic group of Indo-European languages. Their faith is Orthodox. In the 18th century Russians comprised 90% of the population of St. Petersburg. In 1869 555,000 Russians were living in the city (83.2% of population), in 1900 - 1,184,000 (82.2%), in 1989 - 4,448,900 (89.1%). Russians make up the majority of the social communities in St. Petersburg. The Slavonic population, the ancestors of the Russians appeared at the edge of the Neva river basin 1,000 - 2,000 years A.D. In 1323 at the source of the Neva the fortress Oreshek was founded (see Shlisselburgskaya Fortress). At the location of St. Petersburg in the 16th century, there was a Russian trading settlement at the Neva mouth. Russian carpenters, boat builders, workmen were sent at the decree of Tsar Peter the Great (mainly from the north and centre of Russia) and soldiers participated in the construction of the city. In the 19th to the early 20th centuries, immigrants in St. Petersburg from the upper Volga (Yaroslavskaya, Tverskaya, Kostromskaya provinces), north (Vologodskaya, Olonetskaya, Arkhangelskaya provinces) and northwest (Pskovskaya, Novgorodskaya provinces) of Russia predominated. In the 20th century a part of the immigrants came from the south and eastern regions of the country. Interethnic marriage has been characteristic of the Russian population since the late 19th century. Descendants of such marriages usually considered themselves Russian. Being the capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg was the most important centre of Russian culture and remains to be till this day.

Reference: Юхнева Н. В. Этнический состав и этносоциальная структура населения Петербурга, вторая половина XIX-нач. XX в.: Стат. анализ. Л., 1984.

A. Y. Chistyakov.

Bibliographies
Юхнева Н. В. Этнический состав и этносоциальная структура населения Петербурга, вторая половина XIX - нач. XX в.: Стат. анализ. Л., 1984

The subject Index
Shlisselburg Fortress.



Bourgeoisie

BOURGEOISIE, a social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population. The permanent inhabitants of the city did not consist of seasonal labourers or merchants

Civil Servants

CIVIL SERVANTS, a social-professional group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population, serving state institutions. In 1722 Emperor Peter the Great introduced a Table of Ranks

Communities

Communities, an official or unofficial association of immigrants from any region, permanently or temporarily living in St. Petersburg. Their main aim is mutual help and interaction in a familiar cultural setting. In St

Intelligentsia

INTELLIGENTSIA, a social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population, individuals engaged in intellectual work and possessing high educational qualifications (subdivided into creative work, science, and manufacturing)

Merchants

MERCHANTS, a social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population, individuals engaged in trade and industrial activities. In the first half of the 18th century merchants came in among the "planted people

Otkhodniki

OTKHODNIKI, seasonal workers (mainly peasants), who came to St. Petersburg in search of work. Otkhodniki appeared in the city at the beginning of the 18th century and took part in the city's construction

Peasants

PEASANTS, a social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population. Until 1917, the peasant class was one of the social classes that made its members dependent on their place of inhabitancy and work. In 1869, there were 207,000 peasants in St

Population (entry)

POPULATION of St. Petersburg is the second largest in the Russian Federation after Moscow. From the 18th to the start of the 20th centuries the population continually grew: in 1725 - 40,000 people, in 1750 - 74,000; in 1800 - 220,000; in 1818 - 386

Servants

SERVANTS, professional social group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population, consisted mainly of peasants who came to the capital in search for work (see Otkhodniki), the smaller part was comprised of petty bourgeoisie