The German city of Bad Ems is symbolically connected with the history of Ukraine. 150 years ago, Russian Emperor Alexander II, who was spending his vacation in this city, signed the Ems Decree on May 30, 1876. It almost completely banned the printing of books in the Ukrainian language, as well as their import from abroad. Ukrainian culture was subjected to extreme repression.
"It will never exist"
A few years earlier - in 1863, Russian Interior Minister Pyotr Valuev called the Ukrainian language "Little Russian" and declares that it "never existed, does not exist, and never will exist". Documents from the commissions appointed by the Tsar on this issue make clear the aim - to prevent "any notion that Ukraine could secede from Russia, even in the distant future".
According to Michael Moser, professor of Slavic studies at the University of Vienna, this was a conscious attempt to wipe out the Ukrainian language and stop its development. German historian and professor at the University of Cologne Gerhard Simon says: "Ukrainian identity at that time was considered a variant of Russian and a threat to the state and cultural unity of the tsarist empire".
Theatre as the core of Ukrainian cultural identity
The years after the signing of the Emsk Decree are called "dead years" in Ukrainian historiography. Many intellectuals and representatives of the cultural sector from Ukraine were forced to emigrate to the West, and the influential newspaper "Kyiv Telegraph" was forced to stop working. After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, Ukrainians saw an opportunity to revive their culture. Ukrainian philologist and ethnographer Pavlo Zhitecki called for this to be done with the help of the theater.
Screenwriter Marko Kropyvnytsky decided to seize the opportunity and a few months later founded one of the first professional Ukrainian theaters in the city, which today bears his name - Kropyvnytsky. Although the Emsky Decree was formally in force until 1905, it is believed that it was no longer valid as early as 1882.
On October 27 of the same year, the play "Natalka Poltavka" was performed in Kropyvnytsky's theater to a completely sold-out audience. This play became a Ukrainian classic, and the creativity of authors in Ukraine flourished - plays appeared that were considered "golden classics", which often touched on the theme of cultural assimilation in the Russian Empire. According to Gerhard Simon, the great paradox is that it was precisely the repressions of the tsarist regime that were the real catalyst for the building of the Ukrainian nation. After the Em Decree, there were dozens of more attempts to destroy the Ukrainian language.
New attempts to crush Ukrainian identity
Today, Vladimir Putin's regime is once again spreading the old narratives from the tsarist era about the "historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians". Russia's war against Ukraine is accompanied by an attack on the Ukrainian language, against Ukrainian culture and identity in the occupied territories.
"The Em Decree is not just a historical past. We are still fighting for the right to speak Ukrainian and read books in Ukrainian so that this culture is not destroyed," Irina Shmilichovska, a Ukrainian living in Cologne, told DW. Nadya Halaburda from the "Association of Ukrainian Women" in Germany believes that Russia's actions will only strengthen Ukrainian identity and the Ukrainian people. "After all, this has already led to the collapse of the Russian Empire twice. It could happen a third time," she says.
Emperor Alexander II would probably be very surprised to learn that there are quite a few young Germans now studying Ukrainian. Ukrainian language courses in Germany have increased significantly in recent years. According to the Federal Statistical Office, more than 1,250 people are currently studying Slavic languages, including Ukrainian.
Author: Dmytro Kanievski