Russian Mennonite Studies (18th-early 20th Century)

The Mennonite is an important branch of Anabaptist in Protestantism,which advocates the establishment of an independent church free from state interference.Mennonites oppose infant baptism;oppose to war and violent revolution;and oppose oaths,participation in politics,military service and war.Because of its unique belief,the Mennonites were persecuted after the rise of Netherland.Encouraged by the immigration policies of Catherine II,Mennonites migrated from Prussia to Russia in the 1880s.In 1789,the Russian Mennonite established the Chortitz settlement,and in 1803,the Mennonite established the Molotschna settlement.In the 1860s,as the population grew and land became scarce,Mennonites built new settlements such as Borozenko.Before the 1860s,the Russian authorities did not interfere in the affairs of the Mennonite,Mennonite's school,education,religion and economy grew rapidly.However,since the 1860s,Alexander ? implemented Russian and universal compulsory military service.These two policies threatened the belief of the Mennonite,caused the Mennonites to lose their characteristics,and restricted the development of the Mennonite.Because of the reform of Alexander ?,the rise of anti German sentiment in Russia and the promotion of the immigration policy of the Federal Republic of Germany,the Russian Mennonite was forced to immigrate three times,and now they mainly live in Germany,the United States and Canada.Although the number of Russian Mennonites is small and their history is not very long,they left a distinct imprint in Russia.The Mennonite economy grew rapidly,and it made great progress in sheep breeding,grain farming,land restoration,and crop rotation with fallow.The Mennonites advocated peace and friendship,and opposed war and violent struggle.In many wars in Russia,Mennonites played an important role as non-combatants,supporting materials and rescuing the wounded.In addition,the Mennonites served as model immigrants,teaching farming to nearby Nogai and other German immigrants and driving them to become rich together.This study discussed the emergence and influence of Russian Mennonites.It included the following parts:Chapter I:the introduction and early development of Mennonite in Russia.This chapter analyzes the doctrine of the Mennonites,the reasons for immigration and its early development in Russia.The Mennonites were an important branch of Anabaptist in the 16th century.They opposed infant baptism,war and violent revolution,and advocated peace,friendship and non-resistance.Chapter ?:The development and identity of Russian Mennonite.Before the 1860s,the Mennonites enjoyed privileges and the Russian authorities did not intervene in Mennonites affairs.However,with the reform of Alexander ?,Russian authorities increased its intervention in the Mennonites and restricted their religious and educational development.Chapter ?:The fate of the Russian Mennonite.This chapter mainly analyzes the emigration activities of Russian Mennonites abroad and the reasons for their emigration.In the 1860s,after Tsar Alexander ? carried out a series of reforms led by the abolition of serfdom,the Russian Mennonites lost the privilege of exemption from military service,and their non resistance to belief was threatened,which forced the Mennonites to emigrate to the United States and Canada.At the beginning of the 20th century,Russian political situation was turbulent,affected by factors such as revolution and war,and the devastated Mennonites,in order to escape the tragic fate,Russian Mennonites chose to emigrate to the United States and Canada and other regions.Chapter IV:The influence of the Russian Mennonites.This chapter discussed the influence of Russian Mennonite.Russian Mennonite loved the motherland,its sheep breeding and grain planting have developed rapidly.In conclusion part,it analyzes the current situation and characteristics of Mennonite,the understanding of Mennonite and the national policy of Russia.In my opinion,Mennonite is the epitome of Russian society,because a series of experiences of Mennonite reflect and witness the changes of Russian society.The innovations of this paper are:firstly,this paper studied the introduction,development and influence of Russian Mennonite.Secondly,this paper uses the original documents such as the letter of Johann Cornies,Mennonite reformer,and makes the argument of this paper more convincing through sufficient historical materials.Lastly,in terms of research methods,by comparing the Mennonites of Russia,the United States and Canada,it embodies the unique features of the Russian Mennonites.