History of the Russian Mennonites

How did Mennonites understand their commitment to non-resistance and to the Tsar? Russia declared war on Germany on July 20, 1914. The following primary document from Bachmut / Memrik Mennonite Church Elder Peter Wilhelm Janzen to government officials a few days later (translated below) offer us a sense of how different their world was from ours. It too had a context. Was the state suspicious about Mennonite loyalties in an impending war with Germany? Indeed. Did Mennonites feel pressured to prove their patriotism in positive and tangible ways in order to retain privileges, including property rights? Yes. Here is a translation of Janzen's statement on behalf of 20 Mennonite villages, and addressed to the Central Committee of the "Union" [Octobrists] ( note 1 ). At the end of this post I offer a few comments. "We, the Mennonite landowners in 20 villages of the Bachmut District, address  authorities, institutions, and the whole of society with the following words: Yest