Russian Propaganda During the First World War: Technologies and Forms

The purpose of the article is to analyse the use of political propaganda methods employed by the Russian Empire before and during the First World War, in particular, on the Ukrainian lands, which became a direct theatre of military operations and a field of confrontation between intelligence and counterintelligence services of belligerent powers, which exercised manipulative influence upon great masses of population and implemented special technologies for the formation of public opinion. The research methodology is based on the principles of objectivity, systematicity, dialectics, historicism and interdisciplinarity. The study is grounded on problemchronological, institutional and historical methods, as well as social psychology methods, used in propaganda practices. Scientific novelty: on the basis of printed materials: brochures, First World War periodicals, published posters and woodcuts (lubki prints), as well as memoirs of people, involved in the organization of propaganda campaigns, certain objects, technologies and forms of propaganda, in particular, the involvement of intelligence officers of the Russian Imperial Army in manipulative technologies, were defined. The widespread use of propaganda and counter-propaganda by the states that were the main players of the First World War, became a kind of hallmark of that war. In Russia, unlike other states, there were no special bodies and no such bodies were created later to influence public opinion in their own, hostile or neutral states. The peculiarity of the propaganda of the Russian Empire was the use of mainly constructive (positive) propaganda aimed at neutralizing social conflicts within the state, uniting the population and the authorities and their joint struggle against the enemy. The ideas of Pan-Slavism and Neo-Slavism were actively applied in the international realm. They were aimed at the unity of the Slavic world under the auspices of Russia as the defender of the Slavic peoples and the Orthodox Christian faith. The use of destructive propaganda technologies was aimed at creating the image of the “enemy” and uniting patriotic forces against it. At the same time, Russia failed to offer Slavic peoples of the empire, in particular Ukrainians, to realize their political aspirations in resolving the national issue; it did not feel a change of mood and did not restructure the content of propaganda rhetoric, which eventually led to its defeat in the information and psychological space.

Bulgarian Blagoev Commune in the Context of the Formation of the Soviet Totalitarian System (1920s – 1930s)

Based on the analysis of the sources and academic literature, the article comprehensively presents a critical analysis of the activities of the Bulgarian Blagoev Commune. The article covers the details of the organisation and functioning of the collective, the tasks set by the Bolshevik authorities. The article characterises the process of adaptation to a different country, the relations of the members of the commune with the local population and ties to Ukrainian associations. The results and consequences of the economic and financial activities of the international commune on the territory of Ukraine are generalised. The authors draw attention to the fact that the conscientious work of the members of the commune was used by the political regime under the slogans of building a bright future for the sake of an unrealistic socialist goal. Special focus is put on the party and public activities of the members of the commune. The contradictory nature of the position of the Soviet government regarding the newly created collective, the evolution of its party and state policy and the tragic fate of the leadership of the commune in the 1930s are discussed. The article outlines the recommendations on the practical application of the historical experience of the international collective in the context of international cooperation.

Information on the Bulgarian History in the IX – XI Centuries, Reflected in the Russian Chronograph

Object of the present research is the Russian chronograph, an extensive chronicle in which the history of the Slavs is described as part of the world. The information about the Bulgarians occupies an important place. The data about the Bulgarian history in the 9th – 11th c. is taken from Slavic translations of Byzantine chronicles and from some Russian historical works, most notably from the Bulgarian additions to the Manasses Chronicle. This article seeks to answer the question of how productive the Chronograph is as a historical source. Unpublished editions and copies of the Chronograph were also used for the purposes of the research. The method of comparative analysis shows that although some of the information is found in earlier Russian historical texts, different points of view are presented in the Russian chronograph. The chronograph contains rich information about Bulgarian history, part of which remains out of scientific interest. It is valuable for science and can be productively used as a source for Bulgarian medieval history.

About Emmanuel Vaskidovich`s “Kratko izlozhenie za soedinenieto na dvete uchilishta Svishtovski, uchilishteto na bozhestvenoto preobrazhenie i sveti apostoli”, or the first published communities’ statute

The publication of Emanuel Vaskidovitch „Kratko izlozhenie za saedinenieto na dvete uchilishta Svishtovski“ is known to the researchers, as an application of “Hristiyansko pouchenie ili sokrashtenie na Sveshtenniyata katihisisa” however to this day no researcher has commented upon the master copies which have been used for the making of the publication. „Kratko izlozhenie“ in essence, it’s the first printed draft for the communities` statute in the Bulgarian language. In the present article I demonstrate my thesis, that the author adjusts the only known published statute of Greek Orthodox community from the early 19th century „Sistyma i diatagai“, compounded from Melenikon’s citizens in 1813 is made known to the Bulgarian public. Source of unmatched value, this statute provides us with precious information for the development of the subsidiarity, for the entry of social elements in the Melenikon’s administration, as for the rules which this happens.

Activities of Land Settlement Commissions in The South of Ukraine in the Years of Stolypin Agrarian Reform (1906 – 1917)

The article is devoted to one of the important aspects of the Stolypin agrarian reform – the practical activities of land settlement commissions in the field of land surveying in Southern Ukraine in 1906 – 1917. The personnel, tasks and functional responsibilities of members of land settlement commissions are clarified. The main types, volumes and results of land surveying works in the region are determined. It is proved that the practice of boundary works differed in the modernization of technical measures for the elimination of cross-strips, small strips, far-flung land, which led to improved field cultivation, increased agricultural yields and rising land prices. Special attention is paid to land management in the Bulgarian colonies of the region.