Military Reform and German Colonists: Expectations and Reality

The author reveals the history of the military reform in Russia in 1874 and the attitude towards it of German colonists and Mennonites who had resettled here during the era of Catherine II and had the privilege of being exempt from military service. However, the situation chenged after the reform of Alexander II in 1874, when they were obliged to perform compulsory military service along with the rest of the country’s population. This reform dealt a sensitive blow to the way of life they had established for more than a hundred years. Not all colonists were ready to fulfill this obligation, and many sought to emigrate from the country. They mostly preferred to move to the United States, but some considered the annexed territories in Central Asia as a new place of residence. The exception to these colonists was the Mennonites, who refused to perform military service for religious reasons. After examining their circumstances, the Russian authorities met them halfway, replacing military service with service in forestry teams and medical battalions. The author characterizes not only the process of developing reforms, but also the process of their inclusion in the conscription campaign including: drawing up conscription lists, drawing lots, and the medical examination of conscripts. Using quantitative methods, the author establishes that the percentage of German draft dodgers from the total number of conscripts and German draft dodgers from Russian service was much lower than average. Studying the issue of using benefits based on family status or literacy rate showed that they did not always make an effort to use them, possibly due to their ignorance of local laws.