The legal framework of the circulation of Western European books in the Russian Empire (1721-1917)

Our interest in the subject in question is a first step in developing of a catalog of Western European books from the collection of NMAHM in the pre-WWI period. The presence of a rich Western European book fund is an important sign of the level of integration of the population of Bessarabia in European culture and science in the process of Russification and transformation of the province into a Russian gubernia, it reflects the evolution of collective mentality, especially of the nobility and the intelligentsia. That is why the control over the importation of foreign publications was an important function of Russian censorship throughout the nineteenth century. Based on researched documents we can say that during the covered period, in the Russian Empire the circulation of foreign books was a subject of a strict legislative control. In the control of circulation of foreign books in the Russian Empire, besides the censorship organs, an important role was given to customs institutions and legislation, which regulated the access points for books from abroad, and import duties. This control aimed at several objectives, in addition to that primary to limit the spread of liberal ideas, which could weaken the social, political and national basis of the state. The study of legislation on censorship, allows us to ascertain that for almost a century, between 1828-1917, foreign censorship methods and specific activity remained virtually unchanged. Up to its liquidation in 1917, it remained one of the most conservative organs of the state apparatus, even though the increasing number of foreign books that were reaching the Russian market strained on more and more, year by year, the resources of the committee of foreign censorship, not only through the work of censorship, but also that of preparation of numerous reports and correspondence. Analyzing the Russian government censorship policy we came to the conclusion that it reflects the dual attitude of Russian autocracy on everything that was foreign. It sought to keep up with Western civilization, but at the same time, it was afraid of progressive ideas.