The national question and its structure is studied from an economic, demographic, ethnographic, political, and other points of view. The study of ethnic systems is necessary for a better understanding of the features of modern social development.
As you know, people went through several stages in their ethnic formation. The human race in the course of development was formed into a nation. Moreover, the opinions of many sociologists agree that this concept (nation) can be called a large social group that has developed in a certain territory and has a common historical past, a literary language, and individual characteristics of the psychological structure. It should be noted that for the most part nations formed in the era of capitalism.
In the world there are countries whose territories are inhabited by many different nationalities. Russia is one of the multinational states. Moreover, it is very difficult to name the exact number of peoples living on its territory. More than 94% are ten numerically large nations.
Unlike some other states (for example, America), where representatives of different nationalities have an ancestral home and the ability to "re-emigrate," in Russia, most ethnic groups are indigenous.
According to analysts, the national question escalated after perestroika. In Russia, according to surveys, in early 1989, more than seventy percent of the inhabitants treated the same ethnic group. Thus, the country was characterized by a high degree of national tolerance. The level of interethnic interaction was also relatively high. So, more than 40% spoke positively regarding marriages between representatives of different nationalities. In addition, more than fifty percent were in kinship relations, and almost 90% had representatives of other nations among friends. There was a negative attitude towards persons of a different nationality. It was expressed by about three percent of the indigenous population. More than eight percent believed that there should not be representatives of other nationalities in the region.
During the years of perestroika, the situation has changed a lot. The national question intensified in connection with the struggle for popular sovereignty. Armed units began to appear that controlled the behavior of the population. With the development of nationalist movements, serious clashes have increasingly arisen. As a result, the so-called "ethnocratic states" began to form. In them, representatives of another nation experience enormous difficulties in obtaining citizenship, and therefore are forced to emigrate.
It should not be thought that with the collapse of the USSR the national question was resolved independently. On the contrary, the situation has become even more complicated. In some territories, relations between the indigenous and non-indigenous residents worsened, and refugees appeared. The federalization and disintegration in Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries had a great influence on the national question.
At the same time, centralization of the economy was noted. In such circumstances, the question of justice inevitably arose in the distribution of the income of the nation. So, in almost every republic, a suspicion was formed that she received much less than she gives.
As mentioned above, the national question is a problem relating to various spheres of society. In this case, one of the most important areas is the study of processes and phenomena that reflect the spiritual development of the people - its traditions, language, culture. With the internationalization of the social and economic sphere of life, the spiritual component remains in some way a repository of national identity, traditions, and spirit.