Desacralization of the image of the tsarist power in anarchist press and agitation materials in Ukrainian provinces at the early XX century

Abstract

Abstract. In the second half of the 19th century, anarchist ideas began to penetrate the Russian Empire, but their significant influence became noticeable only in the early 20th century. In Ukraine, anarchist groups were formed in 1903-1904 in cities like Nizhyn and Odesa, as well as in Kharkiv, Nikopol, Kherson, Yalta, Simferopol, among others. Despite financial difficulties and competition with other parties, anarchists actively developed their propaganda and publishing activities. Initially, anarchist groups operated under conditions of significant resource scarcity and hostility from other parties.

The scientific novelty. By 1904, the anarchist movement had gained mass support, encompassing large worker masses who fought against the existing regime. Anarchist propaganda was spread by all available means, and by mid-1905, anarchist literature was being sold in bookstores. However, as public interest grew, this literature began to be confiscated and disappeared from open circulation. Nevertheless, anarchists actively printed and distributed leaflets, newspapers, and brochures targeted at various social groups. The identification of power with capital opened a wide field for maneuvering in the political arena, allowing them on one hand to morally justify expropriating property, and on the other, to engage in subversive activities. The desacralization of tsarist power and the anti-clerical message became important aspects of anarchist propaganda aimed at undermining the authority of the state and the church, while the unlawful appropriation of wealth and land, which they believed led to famine and the impoverishment of the population, allowed their propaganda to resonate with marginalized social groups. The inherent criticism of the judicial system was manifested in calls for people’s courts and vigilantism in its various forms.

Conclusions. The spread of anti-militarist sentiments was evident during the Russo-Japanese War, which was extremely unsuccessful for the tsarist regime, and despite the changing views of some anarchist leaders, also during World War I. The anarchist press effectively used emotional manipulation, desacralizing power and capitalism, and adapting its rhetoric for different target audiences. The current study attempts to view the anarchist press from two different perspectives — from the standpoint of rational argumentation in convincing the population of the need to overthrow the state system, and also from the point of view of emotional manipulation through the use of journalistic techniques. An analysis is provided of the vocabulary, imagery, and metaphors that most frequently appeared in both the press and the agitation materials of anarchist organizations.