Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality

Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality, in Russian history, slogan created in 1832 by Count Sergey S. Uvarov, minister of education 1833–49, that came to represent the official ideology of the imperial government of Nicholas I (reigned 1825–55) and remained the guiding principle behind government policy during later periods of imperial rule.

Uvarov presented the phrase in a report to Nicholas on the state of education in the Moscow university and secondary schools (gimnazii). In the report he recommended that the state’s future educational program stress the value of the Orthodox Church, the autocratic government, and the national character of the Russian people; he considered these to be the fundamental factors distinguishing Russian society and protecting it from the corrupting influence of western Europe.

As the official ideology became the basis of Russian education, the study of theology and the classics, as well as vocational training, received much emphasis. Philosophy, however, considered to be the main medium through which corrupting Western ideas were transmitted, was virtually eliminated from the curriculum. Outside the schools, strict censorship was imposed on all publications that were critical of the system of autocracy.

Furthermore, official adherence to the slogan “Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality” gave an impetus (not entirely approved of by the Emperor) to the cause of the Russian nationalists, many of whom were employed in government and other influential positions. Interpreting narodnost to mean “nationalism” rather than “nationality,” they used their authority to institute Russification policies in schools in non-Russian areas of the empire, to pressure non-Orthodox religious groups to convert, and to enact various restrictive measures that suppressed non-Russian nationality groups. The nationalists also encouraged the government to support the efforts of other Slavic peoples to achieve national autonomy and, thereby, contributed to the developing rivalry between Russia and Austria (one of Russia’s chief allies) for dominance in the Slavic-populated Balkans.