{"product_id":"the-volga-germans-in-russia-and-the-americas-from-1763-to-the-present","title":"The Volga Germans: In Russia and the Americas  from 1763 to the Present","description":"\u003cp\u003eCatherine the Great recruited thousands of colonists to populate her lower Volga River frontier with dependable permanent settlers who not only would bring stability to this lawless  underdeveloped  and uncharted region  but also would reclaim the vast wasteland therean area larger than the state of Maryland. This recruitment program ended in 1766  after drawing a majority of the colonists (about 30 000) from west central Germany  particularly the Hessian states. Since 1874 many inhabitants of this overpopulated land island between Saratov and Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) have emigrated to the Western worldto homesteads from the plains of western Canada to the pampas of Argentina  but chiefly in the U.S. By 1920 more than 300 000 Volga Germans were counted in the U.S.  mostly in the private states but including 24 000 in the East and 30 000 on the West Coast. Meanwhile  the number of German-derived residents of the Soviet Union exceeded two millionthe original Evangelical and Roman Catholic settlers having flourished  despite adversity  and having been joined by Mennonites in 1854. The author paints a vivid picture of the pioneering activities of the Germans on the Volga  meeting the challenges of a hostile environment and raids by brigands  and keeping their culture alive through an elaborate system of parochial schools. A century ago population pressure forced many Volga Germans westward to the Americas  or eastward to Turkestan and Siberia somewhat later. Although Lenin established a Volga German Autonomous Republic  Stalin abolished it in 1941 during the Nazi invasion and deported its population to Siberia and Central Asia. A 1964 Soviet decree retracted wholesale charges of disloyalty against the Volga Germans but denied restoration of their Republic. The story of the Volga Germans and their adventures in North and South America from 1874 to the present is a warm and vibrant one. Both laymen and scholars will find it rewarding.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44946099208245,"sku":"ByrdShop_0271012366","price":226.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780271012360.jpg?v=1770840302","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-volga-germans-in-russia-and-the-americas-from-1763-to-the-present","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}