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Cossacks are a seminomadic ethnic group from southern Russia and eastern Ukraine. After being subjugated by the Russian empire in the 18th century, Cossacks came to be an important part of Russian military life and were often used to suppress rebellions, mutinies, and other uprisings, as well as to carry out pogroms against Jewish people and other minorities.
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Cossacks Term Timeline in Doctor Zhivago
The timeline below shows where the term Cossacks appears in Doctor Zhivago. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2: A Girl from a Different Circle
...Marfa Gavrilovna, but they only narrowly escape when the protest is violently put down by Cossacks. Nikolai Nikolaevich watches the same demonstration from his window, recognizing Dudorov in the crowd. Nikolai...
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Part 4: Imminent Inevitabilities
One day, Gordon and Zhivago observe a Cossack tormenting an elderly Jewish villager. After ordering him to stop, Zhivago condemns the antisemitism of...
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Part 5: Farewell to the Old
...is confident he can convince the deserters to stand down and refuses to call in Cossacks to disarm the rebels. Gintz speechifies and proclaims, heedless of the warnings he’s been given...
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...to communicate Galliulin’s order that Gintz refrain from approaching the deserters alone. Meanwhile, the arriving Cossacks surround the deserters. Gintz enters their camp to address them directly, but his speech is...
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