Peasant sentiments on the materials of “Lenin's Week” on the first anniversary of the death of V. I. Lenin. 1925

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-2-512–523

For citation

Bryantsev, Mikhail V. (2025). Peasant sentiments on the materials of “Lenin's Week” on the first anniversary of the death of V. I. Lenin. 1925, Herald of an Archivist, № 2, pp. 512–523, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-2-512–523

Bryantsev, Mikhail V., I. G. Petrovsky Bryansk State University, Bryansk, Russia

Peasant sentiments on the materials of “Lenin's Week” on the first anniversary of the death of V. I. Lenin. 1925

Abstract

The article analyzes the materials of the “Lenin Week” of 1925, stored in the State Archive of Contemporary History of the Smolensk region. These are mainly “reports” on the holding of “Lenin's Week” on the territory of Smolensk province. The value of this kind of source lies in their primary character and weak processing - they are first-hand materials. When studying the materials of “reports”, one should take into account the property of public opinion, which is characterized by a discrepancy between verbal and real behavior. People do not always act as they say. It is noted that in the post-Soviet period the interest of researchers in studying the moods, perceptions and perceptions of events both inside the country and abroad has significantly increased. The opportunity to work with materials previously hidden from researchers allows us to clarify and sometimes even change our perceptions of the past. This applies to the person of the early Soviet period, who was often perceived as a “cog” in the huge Soviet mechanism. Familiarity with the materials reflecting public sentiment shows that there are a large number of people capable of critical thinking, who do not succumb to the propaganda tricks of the authorities, who, using a variety of reasons, methodically exerted pressure on the consciousness of the population. One such occasion was the death of Lenin and the subsequent mourning events. The first anniversary of Lenin's death was used by the authorities to broadcast to the population the necessary not only domestic but also foreign policy images. The holding of the “Lenin Week” was intended to shape the experience of the collective identity of the Soviet person. The author concludes that the “reports” on the events planned by the authorities show a very different spectrum of public sentiments of the Smolensk peasantry: from agreement with the position of the authorities on the achievements in building a new society, to the expression of a negative attitude towards it. In the latter case, the informants attributed such sentiments to the anti-Soviet kulachchestvo and, in general, to elements alien to Soviet power. A study of peasant sentiment in Smolensk province showed that the results of Lenin's Week were not quite what the authorities had hoped for. Despite the informants' assurances about the growth of political activity of the peasantry, the political passivity of the population was most often noted. The peasants were more interested in the most pressing problems related to their daily life: whether it concerned international events or the fate of L. D. Trotsky, everything “revolved” around their vital interests.

Keywords

Soviet society of the 1920s, peasants, Leninskaya Nedelya, L. D. Trotsky, sentiments, early Soviet period of the USSR, reports, elections to rural Soviets, Smolensk province.

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About authors

Bryantsev Mikhail V., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, I. G. Petrovsky Bryansk State University, Faculty of Law, Bryansk, Russia, +7-920-854-29-05, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The article was received in the editorial office on 09.12.2024, recommended for publication on 20.03.2025