The problem of establishment of All-Russian identity in multinational regions of North Caucasus

The dissolution of the Soviet Union actualized the problems of seeking the spiritual guidelines for further development of the country in the nascent civil society. The new elite that separated from the yesterdays Komsomol workers, saw itself as part of the rich and progressive West. However, building the single social, economic, and cultural community with Europe did not turn out successful. Therefore, the processes of seeking spiritual grounds and establishing an integral, unique, All-Russian identity became particularly relevant. The research carried out among youth on the national and regional levels, demonstrate different citizens assessments of their identity: All-Russian and regional. If All-Russian identity is more characteristic to the residents of large cities, then the majority of young residents of the national republics of North Caucasus prioritize their regional identity. The expert survey conducted in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic reveals that in the expert community, All-Russian and regional identities are equally important. It is also noted that some regions of North Caucasus are characterized by proliferation of the ideas of consolidation around the ethnic identity of closely related peoples residing in different regions of Russia and the world. For example, the sociopolitical environment of Turkic-speaking peoples indicates the political and cultural movement of Pan-Turkism, which is focused on consolidation of all Turkic peoples. In the central and western regions of North Caucasus prevail the Circassian social movements, which promote consolidation of the scattered Circassian communities in the regions of southern Russia.