The use of national symbols in the conduct of Slav Congresses in the 19th century

Abstract

In  the  19th  – early  20th  centuries four the  most  famous Slav Congresses  took  place: in Prague  in 1848, in Moscow  and in St. Petersburg in 1867, a “secret” congress  in Prague  in 1868, Slavic Congress  in Prague  in 1908. The first three events were closely interrelated. All the Slavic congresses were focused on the ideology of the Slavic community and Pan-Slavism in its wide interpretation, fed on understanding of possibility to unite all Slavs on the basis of affinity of languages descended  from a common root.

Over discussions held in Russian media several issues were acknowledged which  should  have  become  part  of the  Delegates’  agenda  at  1987 Congress hosted in Moscow as well as Saint Petersburg. Those were the recurring questions  of Russian  language  as a tool  of cross-Slavic  dialog, of civilized  Slavic unity existence as well as its defining factors, and the significance of the Russian Empire  presence  in the vicinity  of the Slavic peoples. The Congress  organizers considered that  Russia in particular should become the cultural,  religious and indirectly political foundation for Slavic unity. The main uniting function was laid onto  the cross national  relations  language. The Austrian  Slavs were not able to solve that  issue for Danube  Empire during  the Slavic Congress  in Prague in 1848. In 1987 Russian intellectual elites promoted Russian language as the basis for the Slavic unity. Hence the ‘language’ question  turned into the main symbol of first Slavic congresses of 19th century.