Tautiškumo ir socializmo suderinamumas Vilniaus jaunimo savišvietos būrelių veikloje (XIX a. 8 deš.)

LTStraipsnyje analizuojami XIX a. 8 dešimtmetyje Vilniuje veikę lenkų, rusų ir žydų jaunimo savišvietos būreliai, jų sąsajos su Rusijos imperijoje veikusiais nihilistiniais ir narodninkų judėjimais. Pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas tarp būrelių narių iškilusiai socializmo ir nacionalizmo ideologijų suderinamumo problemai, svarstymams apie tautinių konfliktų įveiką ir krašto visuomenės modernizavimą. Analizuojamu laikotarpiu galima įžvelgti kelis ideologinio suderinamumo parametrus, priklausiusius nuo: a) konkretaus savišvietos būrelio narių tautinio homogeniškumo laipsnio; b) didesnės ar mažesnės, kolektyvinės ar individualios Šiaurės vakarų krašto istorinės atminties; c) teigiamų ar neigiamų sociopolitinės, kultūrinės aplinkos bei tautinių santykių patirčių. Be to, vienas svarbiausių visus jaunimo būrelius jungęs elementas buvo kartų konfliktas, t. y. sociokultūrinis sukilimas prieš vyresniųjų patriarchalinį tradicionalizmą bei baudžiavinę pasaulėžiūrą išlaikiusias mentalines konstrukcijas. Raktiniai žodžiai: socializmas, nihilizmas, savišvieta, nacionalizmas, emancipacija, jaunimas, XIX amžius.

ENThe article offers a concise overview of the dissident and oppositional nihilist and narodnik movements that emerged among students and pupils in the Russian Empire from the early 1860s to the mid-1870s, and examines their influence on the Polish, Russian, and Jewish youth self-education circles active in Vilnius in 1875. The main research question concerns how these circles in Lithuania navigated between socialist internationalism on the one hand, and their own national identity, nation, culture, traditions, and visions of social modernisation on the other. The study identified three approaches to reconciling the ideologies of socialism and nationalism, each largely shaped by the members’ relationship to national identity, the history of the North-Western Region, and their sociopolitical, cultural, and broader lived experiences. 1. The Russian self-education circle operated largely under the ideological influence of the narodniks, but its conception of nation and national identity reflected the particular historical circumstances of the North-Western Region: the “true Russians” were regarded as the Old Believers who had long lived in Lithuania and preserved their early communal and religious traditions. 2. The Polish youth circle pursued a path of nationalism and patriotism designed not only to strengthen members’ personal sense of identity but also to bolster society’s resistance to the Russification policies implemented by the imperial authorities. At the same time, the circle sought to accelerate the modernisation of the region’s population, which, in their view, was closely linked with egalitarianism, secularisation, and the emancipation of women.3. The Jewish youth adopted a third approach to reconciling nationalism and socialism. Deeply influenced by socialist ideology, they consciously sought to cast off their national and religious identity and language – to cease being Jews and become “common human beings”, that is, persons without national affiliation. If successful, such radical emancipation would have enabled them to adopt, by conscious choice, what they viewed as larger and civilisationally more advanced cultures – in other words, to assimilate. Most chose the path of Russification. However, some members of the Vilnius Jewish circle did not wish to abandon their national identity entirely, recognising it as the only means of maintaining ties with their own people and of spreading revolutionary ideas among them. The most prominent representative of this trend was A. Liberman, the founder of the Jewish socialist movement, who in a series of articles published in 1875–1876 offered a comprehensive analysis of the problem of reconciling nationalism and socialism. He identified as the principal obstacles to the dissemination of revolutionary ideas the deeply rooted national identities in Lithuania, which remained vital and continued to divide its population. Keywords: socialism, nihilism, self-education, nationalism, emancipation, youth, 19th century.

• Knygnešių laikai 1864-1904. Vilnius : Valstybinis leidybos centras, 1994. 419 p.
• Rinktiniai raštai / Jonas Vitartas. T. 1. Vilnius : Lietuvos istorijos institutas, 2017. 383 p.