It was a part of a larger policy of Russification pursued by late 19th–early 20th century Russian governments which tried to abolish cultural and administrative autonomy of non-Russian minorities within the empire.
Formou parte dunha política maior de rusificación levada a cabo a finais do século XIX e comezos do XX polos gobernos rusos que pretendían abolir a autonomía cultural e administrativa das minorías non-rusas dentro do imperio.