28 August, 2013
Welcome!
For 20th Century Russia, the course aims to explore Russian history from the fall of the Romanov dynasty through the collapse of communism. New to this course, each student will blog their own interpretations and interests concerning the course material. With the incorporation of wordpress, the goal is to incorporate technology to allow each student to be a participant in history rather than an audience member.
Before you look around, I want to tell you a little about me. My name is Katie Carlin and I am currently a junior at Virginia Tech. I’m a History major and Psychology minor. I have always held a passion for US History, but I am excited to learn about and explore a new topic with you all. I look forward to our semester together as we learn more about the complex century of the Soviet Union!
Image citation: russianrulers.podhoster.com
30 August, 2013
History of the Solovetskii Monastery
Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. View of the Solovetskii Monastery from the Land, 1915. Digital color rendering. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsc-03961
From a collection, of photographs taken by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii in the early 20th century, I chose to examine View of the Solovetskii Monastery. The fortifications established around the monastery caught my immediate attention because defensive measures are not often associated with religious institutions.
The monastery was founded in the 15th century, built with fortifications to prevent attack from hostile neighbors. The monastery became “the economic, religious, military and cultural centre of the whole region” (UNESCO). But the history of the Solovetskii Monastery is not one of community growth and progress, but rather a history littered with dark remnants of the past, specifically during the 20th century.
In the 1920s, under Lenin, the Solovki prison camp was established within the Solovetskii Monastery; a camp that would become a model for concentration camps across the state. A majority of the prisoners were considered “enemies” of the state. The camp ran from 1921 to 1939, but the number of prisoners who came to the island are not specifically known. A reflection of this history, the Solovki Camp established at the monastery has been said to be “the mother of the GULAG.”
In 1939, the islands were used by the Russian Navy and in 1967 the Museum Preserve was established; however, the true nature of the monastery was not reestablished until 1990 (UNESCO).
Description: Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands
Date: 28/07/2009
Copyright: © Jacopo
Author: Jacopo
Rights Usage Terms: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
Image Source: Source
The labor camps established at the monastery closely tie into the contemporary view most Americans have toward Russia; however, the reversal of the monastery back to its original form arguably is not a means to forget the past, but to reconnect to a history often overshadowed by controversy.
Image created by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, 1910, photographer
Permanent Record: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/architecture.html
Cited Sources:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/632
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/632/gallery/
http://www.pitt.edu/~slavic/sisc/SISC9/2_Gullotta.pdf
http://osaarchivum.org/gulag/txt1.htm
http://www.anatol.org/projects/travel/russia/solovki-archipelago.html
By carlin Welcome to 20th Century Russia! 1 Comment