Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus

Since their independence, Ukraine and Belarus have pursued relatively consistent but almost polar-opposite policies toward Russia. For the most part, the difference is explicable not as a product of differing material pressures and incentives (which do not, in fact, differ significantly), but as a c...

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Autor principal:	Dylan Payne Royce
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN RU
Publicado:	MGIMO University Press 2021
Materias:	polonization ukraine belarus national identity russia poland ussr grand duchy of lithuania kingdom of poland nationalism International relations JZ2-6530
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/0196a090cb49443d8ff2dd3b6ed4fd0e
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:0196a090cb49443d8ff2dd3b6ed4fd0e2021-11-23T14:50:42ZPolonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus2071-81602541-909910.24833/2071-8160-2021-1-76-48-93https://doaj.org/article/0196a090cb49443d8ff2dd3b6ed4fd0e2021-03-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.vestnik.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/2664https://doaj.org/toc/2071-8160https://doaj.org/toc/2541-9099Since their independence, Ukraine and Belarus have pursued relatively consistent but almost polar-opposite policies toward Russia. For the most part, the difference is explicable not as a product of differing material pressures and incentives (which do not, in fact, differ significantly), but as a consequence of differing popular and elite conceptions of Ukrainian and Belarusian national identities, which yield different beliefs about the proper relationship of those nations to Russia. The article argues that the difference is largely traceable to the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s southern lands - modern western and central Ukraine - were transferred to the Kingdom of Poland, and subsequently conquered by Russia in stages, while Belarus remained within Lithuania until also conquered by Russia. This resulted in different Ukrainian and Belarusian territories spending vastly different amounts of time under Polish rule. Considering that Rusian culture originally had a high status in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and that Polonization naturally proceeded more intensely in Poland than in Lithuania, the author hypothesizes that: 1) the longer a territory was under Polish rule, the more subject it was to Polonization; 2) the more it was subject to Polonization, the more it developed a western European identity; 3) the more Ukrainian and Belarusian national identities were westernized, the more alienated they became from non-westernized Rusian nationalities, primarily the (Great) Russian (русский / великорусский / российский); 4) the more alienated a national identity is from Russia, the more its bearers seek to separate themselves from Russia. The research finds out that the longer an area was under Polish rule, the more support it subsequently displayed for separation and distancing from Russia. Ukrainian territories, especially in the west and center of the country, were long under Polish rule and accordingly tend toward an anti-Russian alignment that was visible even a century ago. On the other hand, Belarus, ruled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania but never by Poland directly, expressed little desire to abandon the Russian Empire a century ago, and today continues a policy of friendship and integration with Russia.The article combines various qualitative and quantitative methods to demonstrate how centuries-long historical processes reshaped a national identity, with massive consequences that still endure today.Dylan Payne RoyceMGIMO University Pressarticlepolonizationukrainebelarusnational identityrussiapolandussrgrand duchy of lithuaniakingdom of polandnationalismInternational relationsJZ2-6530ENRUVestnik MGIMO-Universiteta, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 48-93 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN RU
topic	polonization ukraine belarus national identity russia poland ussr grand duchy of lithuania kingdom of poland nationalism International relations JZ2-6530
spellingShingle	polonization ukraine belarus national identity russia poland ussr grand duchy of lithuania kingdom of poland nationalism International relations JZ2-6530 Dylan Payne Royce Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus
description	Since their independence, Ukraine and Belarus have pursued relatively consistent but almost polar-opposite policies toward Russia. For the most part, the difference is explicable not as a product of differing material pressures and incentives (which do not, in fact, differ significantly), but as a consequence of differing popular and elite conceptions of Ukrainian and Belarusian national identities, which yield different beliefs about the proper relationship of those nations to Russia. The article argues that the difference is largely traceable to the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s southern lands - modern western and central Ukraine - were transferred to the Kingdom of Poland, and subsequently conquered by Russia in stages, while Belarus remained within Lithuania until also conquered by Russia. This resulted in different Ukrainian and Belarusian territories spending vastly different amounts of time under Polish rule. Considering that Rusian culture originally had a high status in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and that Polonization naturally proceeded more intensely in Poland than in Lithuania, the author hypothesizes that: 1) the longer a territory was under Polish rule, the more subject it was to Polonization; 2) the more it was subject to Polonization, the more it developed a western European identity; 3) the more Ukrainian and Belarusian national identities were westernized, the more alienated they became from non-westernized Rusian nationalities, primarily the (Great) Russian (русский / великорусский / российский); 4) the more alienated a national identity is from Russia, the more its bearers seek to separate themselves from Russia. The research finds out that the longer an area was under Polish rule, the more support it subsequently displayed for separation and distancing from Russia. Ukrainian territories, especially in the west and center of the country, were long under Polish rule and accordingly tend toward an anti-Russian alignment that was visible even a century ago. On the other hand, Belarus, ruled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania but never by Poland directly, expressed little desire to abandon the Russian Empire a century ago, and today continues a policy of friendship and integration with Russia.The article combines various qualitative and quantitative methods to demonstrate how centuries-long historical processes reshaped a national identity, with massive consequences that still endure today.
format	article
author	Dylan Payne Royce
author_facet	Dylan Payne Royce
author_sort	Dylan Payne Royce
title	Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus
title_short	Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus
title_full	Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus
title_fullStr	Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus
title_full_unstemmed	Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus
title_sort	polonization as a determinant of national identities of ukraine and belarus
publisher	MGIMO University Press
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/0196a090cb49443d8ff2dd3b6ed4fd0e
work_keys_str_mv	AT dylanpayneroyce polonizationasadeterminantofnationalidentitiesofukraineandbelarus
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Polonization as a Determinant of National Identities of Ukraine and Belarus

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