Russian village 1905-1907 in the historical memory of the “revolutionary turning point” generation. Based on materials from the All-Union Society of Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers
Authors:   Tambov State Technical University, Tambov, Russian Federation, Viazinkin Aleksei Y. , Yakimov Kuzma A. ,   Tambov State Technical University, Tambov, Russian Federation
Published: March 2024

At the beginning of the XXth century, the transformation of the consciousness of the Russian peasantry sharply increased its momentum, and in addition to the traditional factors that influenced this, the generational factor should also be distinguished. The article explores the historical memory of the generation of the «revolutionary turning point» about the revolutionary events of 1905-1907 in the Russian village. The problem of the historical memory of the generation rarely becomes the subject of research by Russian historians. At the same time, the generation of the «revolutionary turning point» undoubtedly accumulated a very significant social experience, the study of the memory of which is a really important historical problem. The purpose of the study is to eliminate the gap in scientific knowledge on the designated topic. The study is built on the principles of historicism and objectivity using historical-comparative, deductive and retrospective methods. The authors rely on the theoretical and methodological approaches of generational research formulated by K. Manheim and P. Nora. The object of the study is the historical memory of the radicals of the generation of the «revolutionary turning point», who was born at the end of the XIX century, and who took an active part in the revolutionary events of 1905-1907 in the Russian village. The source base of the study is the materials of the foundation of the Society of Political Prisoners and Exiled Settlers of the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), including biographical questionnaires, memoirs and other accompanying materials of representatives of the generation of the «revolutionary turning point» involved in the revolutionary process in the village in 1905-1907. Memoirs represent the most valuable material on the study of the historical memory of the generation about the events of the first Russian revolution. Analysis of this material allows you to identify a specific generational style and the sources of its formation. The analysis of the sources suggests that the development of an independent generational style among the youth of the «revolutionary turning point» was reflected in the historical memory of the generation about the revolutionary events in the village in 1905-1907. This is not only about the specific and completely new agitation and propaganda work for the generation to organize cells in the village. but also about the social experience of solidarity between the revolutionaries themselves, as well as about trying to establish contacts within the framework of the principle of joint action between the revolutionary element and the villagers. Representatives of the generation were driven not only by revolutionary ideas, but also by revolutionary emotions, which was reflected in memories.