Matveev V.A. Inter-Ethnic Conflicts in the North Caucasus: De-Escalation Practices in the Context of the Aggravation of Russian Revolutionary Crisis in Summer of 1917. |
The July events in Petrograd worked towards further aggravation of Russian revolutionary crisis, followed by onward destabilization sweeping both central and peripheral regions of the country. In the summer of 1917, the northeastern areas of the Caucasus within the Tersky region witnessed an upswing in interethnic conflicts, which were at that point in time encouraged by ongoing raids on Cossack and other Russian settlements, as well as the auls of peaceful mountaineers. These raids came amid plunder and depredation, which undermined agricultural production. The imminent threat of civil war turned out a common peril for the peoples inhabiting the region, whereby both Russian population and the mountaineers fled to become refugees. The author believes that 1917 restored the line of confrontation, which once existed in the era of the Caucasian war. However, in terms of the “insider-outsider” criterion, this line was no longer clearly defined. This had a lot to do with the medley of population that emerged due to collective settling in flat land auls as people moved away from the upland. Nevertheless, just as was the case with the Caucasian War, many mountaineers joined in the resistance to raids, thus affirming their commitment to the choice of ties with Russia even in the context of revolutionary unrest. The article analyzes the historical practices in addressing stability issues in the region and preserving the integrity of the peoples that settled within it. The topic is explored using the data retrieved from sources previously not covered by the scientific nomenclature. In keeping with these data, the study illustrates the efforts of all ethnic communities of the region in eliminating conflicts and finding appropriate practical solutions.
Keywords: historical practices, ethnic conflicts, raids, revolutionary crisis, Russian co-citizenship, solidarity, February coup.
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