Lev Tolstoy’s Championship and Sponsorship of Doukhobors

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Reasons
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Tolstoy was a Russian and a well-known writer, who wrote on various issues affecting the day-to-day living of the people. He stands out as a staunch proponent of the spiritual and moral reforms in Russia. The playwright Tolstoy played a vital role in the migration of the Doukhobors to Canada. He is amongst those people who sought permission from the Tsar to allow the Doukhobors to migrate by calling upon the British and the America Quakers to facilitate their immigration in 1899. This saw over 7500 of them leave for Saskatchewan in Canada, forming the Kamsack community (Linda Para.2). The Doukhobors, normally known as the’ spiritual wrestlers’, originated from Russia during thee 16^th and the 17^th century. This group of people is a radical Christian sect, holding its own views and beliefs. They maintain the belief of communal and pacifism lifestyle and are opposed to the secular governments, which employ orthodox methods in their leadership. For example, they are opposed to governments, which gain their power through war and force causing pain and injustices to the human being. They believe that human beings are sanctified and no man should kill another. The Doukhobors are emigrants of Canada, who came from Russian in the 1890s. They have strange beliefs, contrary to what the wider society believes. They believed in anti-church and pacifist in line with those of Tolstoy. They did not believe in humankind for instance, the bible, formal church, sacraments or in priests. Their beliefs were in tandem with that of the Quakers who believed in the spirit within a person and in God who was invisible. To them life was divine translating into their love of peace, hospitality, kindness and their compassionate to their fellow human beings. Tolstoy is one of the people who played a crucial role in the migration of the Doukhobors people to Canada. However, there are reasons as to why Tolstoy helped the Doukhobors to move from Russia to Canada (Tarasoff Para.4). For instance, the persecutions of Doukhobors by the Orthodox Church and Tsarist agitated the migration.

Reasons

Persecution of the Doukhobors by the Orthodox Church and Tsarist

This Russian group did not comply with the demands of the Tsarist government and that of the Orthodox Church. In Russia, the Orthodox Church was the formal church which most of the people and other groups of communities attended. Therefore, it was unusual when the Doukhobors rejected the ideologies and to be part of the church. This fact played a role in their increased persecutions. In addition, the Tsar government also persecuted people that did not accept the demand of the government to engage in war. They refused to engage or rather participate in war, a stance that angered the Tsar government resulting to hatred, which led to their persecutions. This agitated both the church and the government heightening of their hatred. When the persecution intensified, the writer Tolstoy came in their rescue because their moral standing, which happened to coincide with his standing and beliefs, moved him. Therefore, with the assistance of the Quakers he managed to aid in their immigration to Canada.

The government also did not like the Doukhobors because they were against the demand of the Tsar government. For instance, the people of Doukhobors did not like to engage in the activities of the government especially when it came to involvement of the violence and war. The refusal of the Doukhobors to join army enraged the government. Due to the predisposition and the belief they held, that life was more important than anything else was, as they could not engage in a crime or war therefore they refuse to these calls. This led to hatred and therefore instead the government began executing them and persecuting them as a result. This made people like Tolstoy to intervene since they also held the same believes they did and therefore assisted in their movement to Canada. Furthermore, the fact that Tolstoy was s a close friend to the Doukhobors made him assist them in the migration.

Friendship with the Doukhobors

Tolstoy was a close friend to the Doukhobors. This friendship emanated from the fact that his believes were consistent with that of the Doukhobors. The Doukhobors has positive believe for instance about morality and believe in God. The belief of the formal Orthodox Church was not consistent with the Doukhobors and Tolstoy believed. This enhanced their friendship. This friendship began when Tolstoy together with his other two associates met with three Doukhobors in a hotel. The meeting lasted for a considerable time (Sanborn 52). The meeting led Tolstoy to develop some attraction to the overall opinions of the Doukhobors on matters relating to non-violence, their vegetarianism nature, private ownership and their belief concerning the role of the Christianity in their day-to-day life. Subsequent meeting intensified their relationship and friendship as he realized that the Doukhobors ideas, beliefs, ideologies resembled his. This friendship agitated his interest and his entire support of the Doukhobors to the level of using the earnings he got from his sale of books to support the Doukhobors even in their migration to the Canada. He was really a true friend who stood by the Doukhobors in both good and bad times. When the pressure and mistreatment of the Doukhobors intensified to the level of intolerance, he came in with a full supporting aiding their migration. His assistance clearly illustrated his loyalty and the spirit of a true friend. There was no way he could betray his friends and therefore because he was able to offer his assistance, he decided to appeal for funds and even sold his book, to collect money to assist in their migration. He therefore collected the money that the Doukhobors needed for their transportation to Canada. More so, he got involved in the Doukhobors destiny.

His involvement in the Doukhobors Destiny

After meeting the Doukhobors, he was comfortable fitting well with them and therefore willing to offer what he had to make sure that their ideology and rights were respected. His ideologies were consistent with those of the Doukhobors as they both refused enrollment in the army. In addition, they refused to take part in the burning of the arms during 1895. These steps by the Doukhobors hastened their hatred from the government. Tolstoy was in concordance with them hence his support. Due to his close involvement with the Doukhobors, he appealed for help from his friends to help rescue them from government mistreatment (Palmieri Para.5). They had their ideologies well spelt and entrenched deep in their hearts. There was no way that the government or any other influence, even church could have changed what they had already formed. To them they believed that what they stood for was right and there was no way someone could change it even if he employed daring means. Even with persecutions, they still remained adamant and could not change their mind. Therefore, finding a place where he could also be comfortable, Tolstoy had no otherwise rather than assisting his colleagues in finding refuge in Canada, which he managed successfully. More so, similar philosophy also played a role in the aiding the migration.

Similar Philosophy

The philosophy of Tolstoy with that of Doukhobors was in tandem to various issues. For instance, Tolstoy view on matters of peace was in line with that of the Doukhobors as opposed to other Christian pacifists, which included the Christian sects. For instance, Leo Tolstoy had an opinion that there was no way peace could come within the present state systems. Peace is a personal initiative. Therefore, he was against any form of violence as he criticized and opposed those leaders who ascended to power through violence. The Doukhobors were for this opinion, held by Leo Tolstoy, which made him close assisting them, most of the time. The philosophy concerning human life, peace and violence was the most common held opinion by both the Doukhobors and Tolstoy. Both were opposed to the way the government was conducting its leadership roles. Employment of violence and arming people to fight their fellow men was not the right way in the view of the Doukhobors and Tolstoy. Therefore, after realizing that they had some level of commonness, they could be each other’s keeper hence when the persecution by the government and seclusion by other formal churches began; they offered support to each other. Apart from this, the fact that the Doukhobors were peace makers made Tolstoy offer his assistance.

Peacemakers

Tolstoy offered his support to the Doukhobors migrations because he loved the way they loved peace and ensured that they did not harm their brothers. The Doukhobors were people who were non-violent and who were their brother’s keepers. For instance, they refused the calls by the Tsar government to join the military. To them they saw human life as important and destroying it was committing a great sin to God who was believed to be within someone (Tracie Para.5) Therefore, Tolstoy, being a man who was against government persecutions and war was against it and found this group of people to be one of him. He therefore was attracted to them and therefore offered his assistance to them. He therefore provided support to these people to the level of taking them for royalties from his book he had written called “Resurrection”, in order to meet the costs or expense of enabling the Doukhobors to migrate to the Canada. He also provided advice and guidance to them and called for their protection of their right from persecution through his writing work and publishing articles in the magazines. The act that the Doukhobors were people, who loved peace, facilitated Tolstoy in assisting them through seeking aids from his friends and from his initiatives to allow their migration to Canada. Vegetarianism reasons also contributed to the assistance.

Vegetarianism Reasons

The fact that the Doukhobors and Tolstoy held similar beliefs when it came to God and violence issues, contributed to Tolstoy’s involvement in the matters of the Doukhobors people. Vegetarianism simply means having intimacy with the living God and Jesus Christ as opposed to word of men, thought to be inhuman by their fellow men. Therefore, after realizing that they had similar viewpoint when it came to believing in God, he found peace of mind and therefore was able to offer his support in their migration. He also offered this support because of the mistreatment and the increased stereotypes, geared to the group owing to its stand. Therefore, they migrated to Canada to avoid these persecutions. Other reasons were the reforms in immigration laws.

Treated as Aliens

The fact that there was revival and transformation of the laws pertaining to immigration fostered the migrations of the Doukhobors, allowing Tolstoy to intervene and assist them in evacuating Russia, as they then stood as aliens before the ordinary eyes of the government. These generous immigration policies, prepared by Clifford Sifton, a Canadian minister, interceded by luring the Doukhobors in Canada in 1899. This saw around 7,500 Doukhobors migrate to the Canada, as it could not be possible for them to go ahead and move from the country if the minister had not intervened. Therefore as one of the people aligned to the Doukhobors way of thinking and ideologies, he opted to aid them in providing financial assistance to them to ensure that they travelled to the Canada where they could stay. Some of the conditions the government of Tsar imposed to them while giving them the go ahead to Canada was that it could not support them financially (Alexeeva 234). In addition, they were not supposed to come back because they had decided to go and had refused to comply with the demands of the government. Therefore, the government treated them as aliens and therefore their movement to Canada was guaranteed. The fact that the Doukhobors were good farmers approved Tolstoy in assisting them since he had confident in them.

Their Unrecognized Potential

The Doukhobors were the best farmers in Russia. For many years, they cultivated their lands and were able to produce large produce from their cultivations. Even the government could testify of their devotion to work, given the chance, though it could not appreciate them for that. They therefore were self-reliant and in most of the time, they did not rely on the government for aids, as they were self-sufficient because they had food reserves. The ability to cultivate and farm made them to be known and recognized by the government. For instance, even Leo Tolstoy attributed their efforts in farming and identified the Doukhobors as the best farmers in the Russia soil. As one of the closest allies to them, and being aware of the potential that they had, Tolstoy knew that even if they move to Canada they will be able to farm and cultivate and be self sustainable. Therefore, it was much better to assist them with the migration so that they could escape the persecution, which the government rejected. Therefore, the fact that Doukhobors were hardworking and industrial in their farming activities meant that they could be able to manage themselves by farming and producing their food. Close ties, which were going to be established, also led to the offering of the assistance.

No Close Ties with the Government

Apart from ensuring that the Doukhobors were saved from their protection, Tolstoy also wanted to establish close links with the Doukhobors. The fact that Tolstoy supported the Doukhobors as part of them and a person who offered great assistance to them meant that he was going to be remembered as being one of the icons or people who fought for the liberation of the Doukhobors. This fact has been witnessed with grand children of Tolstoy paying visits to the people of Doukhobors and they have been engaged in initiatives of constructing bakery café in Canada. In addition, the people of Doukhobors pay tribute to the late Tolstoy for his role that he played in liberating them. They normally recognize that role he played and the indebtness they owe to him for his practical and spiritual support when they were in Russia and being prosecuted by the Tsar government and the opposition they received from the formal churches who were against their believes and way of leading their life’s. Therefore, it is evident that the involvement of Tolstoy in the immigration of the Doukhobors had some aspect of living legacy. He actually gained that legally even after he is long dead as people of the Doukhobors continue remembering him and acknowledging his support and the role, he played in ensuring that their conscious opinions were respected.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear from the paper, that Tolstoy is a man who did as per the expositions to the Russians because of some reasons behind. He did not facilitate the migration of the Doukhobors to Canada without reasons, as the suffering Doukhobors could assert. He is a man who left a mark in the life of the Doukhobors and to date he is being recognized by them for his spiritual support and financial support in times stress in Russia. Tolstoy aided the Doukhobors because they were more or less his brothers and sisters. This is because he found out that the ideology resembled his. He actually was a man who believed that violence could not be the best way that the government should use to govern its people. The Doukhobors who were peaceful and hated violence held the same views. More so, the Doukhobors believed in the spirit and God who was within as opposed to the Christian sect. This also agitated and mounted the hatred between them and other formal churches who did not agree with their stand. The fact that the Doukhobors and Tolstoy shared the same thinking and reasoning, Tolstoy found peace of mind in the group, making him stands by them every time. Furthermore, this facilitated him in offering his financial support and engaging in mission or appeals for funds to help in the migration process of the Doukhobors to the Canada. Furthermore, the increased cases of persecutions and hatred by the government and the Orthodox Church made them to decide to migrate to Canada. This persecution also contributed to similar philosophy, vegetarianism, establishment of good ties, as a result of friendship which was born when the two met and found out that they had similar ideology about various issues in the life not familiar to other factions of Christian sects. Therefore, it is evident that there were various reasons, which made the writer Tolstoy, participate fully in assisting the Doukhobors in moving to their newfound land in Canada. The role he played in the whole situation is worth recognizing and commendable as he contributed in providing liberty showing people the importance of respecting other people values and beliefs. He too proved that people are able to live together in peace as long as they understand that every human being is important.

Works Cited

Alexeeva, Green. The Canadian Ethnic Studies: The History of the Doukhobors. Britain: Rutledge Press, 2009. Print.

Linda, David. Russian Life: Doukhobors of Russia, 2002. Web.

Palmieri, Andrew. The Russian Doukhobors and Their Religious Teachings, 1997. Web.

Sanborn, Jay. Pacific Politics and Peasant Politics: Tolstoy and the Doukhobors. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1995. Print.

Tarasoff, Jefferson. Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers’ Strategies for Living, 2002. Web.

Tracie, Carloz. Toil and Peaceful Life: Doukhobor Village Settlement in Saskatchewan, 2010. Web.

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