Disputes between jews and townspeople in Lithuania and Russia's policies concerning jews

ENAn analysis of the disputes between Jews and the meschane ‘townspeople’ (hereafter, this social class is in the English, townspeople) during the first half of the 19 century has flowed from the pen of more than one historian. Turning points in interests regarding the economy, religion and politics, anti-Semitic attitudes and the dynamics and impact of the conflicts along with other problems are usually analyzed from the time these arguments flared in the towns of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Generally, these conflicts are analyzed from a multidimensional perspective without stressing the importance of different factors. On the other hand, by the contraposition of “us vs. them” or [as locally expressed] “our own vs. strangers”, attention turns towards the importance of competition and other economic factors that often deepened disagreements in urban life. Further, it is necessary to note that the politics of Russia only partly determined conflicts between Jews and Christians. Actually, this factor-the policy of the Russian Empire in regards to the Jews-becomes fundamental, one that usually, indirectly sowed the seeds of discontent, so to say. This issue is distinct in historiography. Between the end of the 19 and start of the 20 centuries, historians, Sergey Bershadsky, July Gessen and Augustinas Janulaitis, were already discussing the aspect of Russian policy directed at the Jews in their analyses of disputes between townspeople and Jews in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, Kaunas and Trakai.