Lutherans of Perm province in the second half of the XIX - early XX: socio-demographic characteristics of the community
In the imperial period, the Urals region was characterized by a complex religious composition of the population. Along with the Orthodox majority, there lived a significant number of Muslims, Old Believers, spiritual Christians, as well as adherents of pagan beliefs. The history of the largest confessional groups of the region has been thoroughly studied, which can not be said about some religious minorities, in particular the Lutherans. Several small studies on this denomination do not allow us to reconstruct all aspects of the functioning of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Urals. Thus, the socio-demographic development of the Lutheran community in the Perm province in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century is extremely poorly studied, which makes this research relevant and significant. Comparing a number of demographic characteristics (class origin, education, professional employment, etc.) of the Lutheran Germans and the Orthodox majority, it is possible to explain the extremely important role of the first in the economic development of the Urals, despite their extremely small share in the total population of the region. The study of the history of ethnic and religious minorities has undoubted practical significance, since it helps to build a balanced national policy at the present stage.