ABSTRACT
Until the twentieth century, Greater Siberia was not commonly regarded as an organic part of Russia. During the early nineteenth century, the colonial perception of Greater Siberia was supplemented by an image that unfortunately has been more enduring. The image of Serbia was fostered in part by the Decembrist Revolt of December 14, 1825, and its aftermath. Wherever they were or went in Greater Siberia, the Decembrists and their wives served as intellectual magnets in their communities. The Decembrists were not separatists, nor did they urge Siberians to follow the example of any other world culture, including that of the United States. The intellectual wellspring of Siberian regionalism was the notion of "Siberian patriotism" espoused by an Orthodox priest named P. A. Slovtsov. From its beginnings in the late 1850s to its demise in the 1920s, Siberian regionalism was also fostered by the intellects and scholarship of two other men: N. M. Yadrintsev and G. N. Potanin.
