Ethnoconfessional Policy Towards Poles in the Military School of the Russian Empire (1830s – 1860s)

The relevance of the topic of this study is caused by the necessity of identifying the causes of negative attitudes of Poles towards Russia and of eliminating the false stereotypes in the interpretation of imperial policy towards Catholics in general, and Poles in particular. The problem under study is the contradiction between the need for a comprehensive description of the ethno-confessional policy towards Poles in the military school of the Russian Empire and the lack of scientific works on this topic. The purpose of this work is a comprehensive scientific analysis of the ethno-confessional policy towards Poles in military educational institutions of the Russian Empire in the 1830s –1860s. The author concludes that, during the period under study, the rules for the admission of Catholic Poles to military educational institutions in Russia have significantly tightened, and their religious education was subject to significant restrictions caused by the policy of Russification. The position of Poles in the socio-cultural environment of cadet corps and military gymnasiums was not associated with their separation into a separate group, even in those institutions where they made up a significant part of the students, with the exception of the Brest Cadet Corps. The results of the work can be used in military educational institutions of modern Russia in the organization of spiritual and ethical education.