Modernization of Ethnocultural Processes in the National Areas of the Far East (1920s - 1930s years)

The article deals with the history of socialistic modernization of traditional ethnic groups of the Russian Far East in 1920s-1930s on the basis of the unpublished documents from federal and national archives introduced for scientific use for the first time. The increased focus is put on the problems of transformation of ethnical and cultural processes in the national areas of the Far East where the role of the Committees for Affairs of the North was fundamental. The key areas of radical changes included educational and fostering institutions, medical, sanitary and hygienic services of the native minorities of the Far East. Outreach centers, innovative schools, northern branches of the leading Institutions of Higher Education became the institutional basis for moderniztion. The main problem at this stage was training of teaching staff. Lack of teachers in the first instance created a considerable obstruction to modernization activities. A lot of efforts were spent to development of a hospital system in national areas. However this goal had not been achieved in pre-war period. The conclusion on critical consequences of these activities for further development of intellectual and material culture of aborigines including the formation of national clerisy was made. The development of clerisy among the peoples of the North was considered the most effective way of their integration into the Soviet system. The Soviet government did not always take into account special aspects of life and traditions of the native minorities of the Far East, the peculiarities of their material and intellectual culture. The forced modernization of the country resulted in unrecoverable damage to the traditional culture of the indigenous peoples who had just reached the primitive communal system breakup stage and created on its ruins the new socialist culture acceptable to the Soviet state.