Lenin V.I.

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PHJ № 3 (47) 2025 — K. V. Godunov. DEBATES ON CIVIL WAR DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

This article examines how the debates that took place during the First World War influenced the dissemination of the concept of “civil war” and the impact this had on the political situation of the time. Particular attention is paid to discussions within the radical socialist milieu. It is demonstrated that the proponents of the slogan advocating the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war — first and foremost, V. I. Lenin and his supporters — acted within a specific historical and ideological context. They took into account the earlier discursive articulations of civil war as well as the experiences of socialists in other countries, particularly the rhetoric of Karl Liebknecht. Drawing on the views of prominent Bolsheviks such as A. G. Shlyapnikov, A. M. Kollontai, and N. I. Bukharin, the study shows that not all members of the party unequivocally supported Lenin’s call for civil war. Even among Lenin’s prominent allies, interpretations of the slogan varied, with differing views expressed regarding its meaning and practical implementation. Debates about the means of ending the global conflict and about the prospects for revolution and civil war were significant in several respects. During the First World War, the Bolsheviks acquired the reputation of being the “party of civil war”. This image played a major role in various anti-Bolshevik propaganda campaigns in 1917, even though in reality, not all members of the party fully endorsed Lenin’s position. Disputes surrounding the transformation of the imperialist war into a civil war contributed to the cultural preparation for internal conflict. The notion of “civil war” gained renewed momentum and expanded its reach; its articulation during the crises of the First World War contributed to the radicalisation of the political situation. These debates among socialists led party activists at various levels — regardless of their agreement or disagreement with the necessity of civil war — to engage with the idea and to participate in the development of a political language centred around violence.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — M. A. Nosko, I. S. Ratkovsky. “I WAS 15 YEARS OLD WHEN, IN 1903, I WAS ACCEPTED AT THE SESTRORETSK FACTORY…”: ON THE BIOGRAPHY OF V. A. EMELYANOV

The article provides an analysis of significant aspects of the biography of Vasily Alexandrovich Emelyanov (1888–1978), a worker at the Sestroretsk Arms Factory and a member of a prominent family involved in concealing V. I. Lenin in Razliv in 1917. The authors undertake a thorough examination of his revolutionary activities, encompassing the transportation of weapons and illegal literature from Finland, participation in combat squads, and his subsequent arrests and exile. Of particular note are the events of December 1907, when V. A. Emelyanov was involved in armed clashes with the authorities. The study introduces hitherto unexplored and newly discovered sources into academic circulation, thereby facilitating a comprehensive reassessment of the social and socio-political history of Sestroretsk during the revolutionary transformations. The researchers identify contradictions in V. A. Emelyanov’s recollections of the 1917 events and compare them with archival materials. The authors emphasise the significance of an interdisciplinary approach, reflecting sociocultural changes in the local revolutionary movement. The article emphasises the necessity of further in-depth research into the biographies of labour movement participants to gain a more complete understanding of their role in the revolutionary events of the early 20th century.

PHJ № 3 (35) 2022 – I. K. Bogomolov. Review of monograph: McGeever B. Antisemitism and the Russian Revolution. Cambridge. 2019

The review analyzes the monograph of the Doctor of Philosophy, professor of Sociology at Birkbeck (University of London) Brendan McGeever on anti-Semitism in revolutionary Russia and in the first years of Soviet power. It is stated that the title of the book — “Antisemitism and the Russian Revolution” — does not fully correspond to the content. Nevertheless, the study of the Bolshevik response to antisemitism during the Russian Civil War was carried out at a high level with the involvement of a large number of archival sources.