Imperial Policy of Including of the North Caucasus Peoples into the Russian Cultural and Linguistic Space in the second half of the 19th century

The imperial policy of the 2nd half of the 19th century, aimed at integrating the Caucasus into the sociocultural space of Russia, was based on the spread of the Russian language and the Orthodox faith, which served as the ideological basis of statehood. During this period, the Russian cultural and linguistic space expanded in the North Caucasus, the educational system was formalized and developed, the first theaters and public libraries were opened. The spread of the Russian language and culture was facilitated by the development of the primary and secondary education system, the creation of schools accessible to the mountain population. The educational process was conducted mainly in Russian. Local languages received limited use in it. Along with a fairly tough line on the integration and Russification of the Caucasus, a policy was pursued that implied non-interference in the life of mountain communities. Management decisions were made based on respect for the religion, language and cultural traditions of indigenous peoples. Studying the Russian language increased the status of the highlander in local communities, opened up new prospects for personal growth, expanded the space for interethnic dialogue and made it possible to go beyond local tradition. All this formed the interest of the peoples of the North Caucasus to receive education in Russian. In general, the imperial policy of this period contributed to the inclusion of mountain elites in the system of public administration, the involvement of their children in education in the educational institutions being formed, and the modernization of all spheres of life, culture and everyday life. Integration and modernization took place most actively in cities and frontier zones, where there was active interaction between Russian and local peoples. However, the majority of the mountain population still existed within closed patriarchal communities and was to a small extent affected by these processes.