The German Colonists of Russia: The Repeal of
Russia's Law of the Colonists in 1871 and its Effects on the German
Book review by Marion Mertz
Scholz, Harry G. The German Colonists of Russia: The Repeal of Russia’s Law of the Colonists in 1871 and it’s Effects on the German Colonist Population. Chapman College, 1969.
Germans from Russia
Heritage Collection DK 34. G3 S35 1984. (not available on interlibrary
In this thesis, written as a requirement for the Master of Arts
Degree in History, the author, Harry A. Scholz, recounts the Law
of 1763 in which Catherine II, Empress of
Russia, gave special dispensation to German citizens in exchange
for their agreement to colonize the Russian steppes.
That law was repealed in 1871 by Alexander II, and the author examines
the effects of that repeal on the German settlers who had enjoyed
its benefits for over 100 years. This repeal changed the lives of
approximately 900,000 German colonists.
The old Russia had created the German settlements. One hundred
years had passed and the Germans, isolated on the steppes, had,
with the passage of time, become the envy of the Russians because
of their prosperity. They also were conspicuous because of their
foreign appearance and practices. Russian hostility toward Germany
was increasing in 1871. Russia did not trust the German Reich. Russians
wanted Russia for the Russians.
The German colonists objected to consequent efforts to "Russify"
them, and saw no benefit in becoming Russians, giving up the material
and cultural advantages they had enjoyed under the old law. Voices
from overseas beckoned the restless colonists. Canada, the United
States, and South America, with their vast lands open to immigrant
settlement, offered viable solutions to their predicament.
Several appendixes and an extensive bibliography provide statistics
Much of the bibliography is German in origin. The Manifesto of Catherine
II is reproduced in part, and some quotes in German are not translated
into English. The print is well spaced and readable in spite of
the blurred lettering.