"In an iron ring": the image of "a uniform strategic front of straggle against the bolsheviks" and transformation of its content in periodicals of Urals and Siberia in the spring - autumn of 1919

The article dwells upon the transformation of the content of one of the key propaganda concepts of white Siberia in thespring - autumn of 1919: the image "a uniform strategic front of struggle against the Bolsheviks". From the end of April, 1919 conditions onthe East front begin to change. During a variety of front operations the troops of the Soviet East front inflicted a defeat over the basic forcesof Kolchak armies. A chain of failures at the front had demoralizing influence on the army. Military defeats demoralized rear organizationseven to a larger degree. Among inhabitants panic began. In these conditions the Russian government of admiral A.V.Kolchak and the Headquartersstarted an active political propaganda among the armies and the population. There is an essential reorganization of the informantbody, its financing extends. The Omsk government strengthens publishing activity, undertakes a number of steps on creation of places of thespecial commissions which are engaged in distribution of the propaganda literature. The various interdepartmental meetings directed for thecoordination of the work of separate informant bodies are held.Changes at the front affected the content side of political propaganda of the Omsk Government, the strategy of propaganda discourse.Actualization of the image of "a uniform strategic front of struggle against the Bolsheviks", a wide use of metaphors of "an iron ring", "aniron cage" and "the hunted animal" occurs even in the early spring of 1919, in successful approach of the Western and Siberian armies. Activelyusing this image, the press loyal to the Omsk regime, aspired to depict the white movement as a monolithic force with the generalcommand and a uniform strategy. East front was presented as the basic, and A.V. Kolchak as the doubtless leader of all the Anti-bolshevistforces. The position of the Soviet Russia was depicted as hopeless.Thus, the concept of "a uniform strategic front of struggle against the Bolsheviks" was supposed to unite all the forces hostile to"Sovdepia", and convince those hesitating that for a definitive victory one last, resolute effort was necessary. In the period of the defeat ofKolchak armies the content of the given image was transformed.On the foreground there is an aspiration to smooth the impression about military failures, to calm down the army and the population.The retreat of the white armies was thus presented as a strategic maneuvering within the limits of realization of a uniform strategy. Thusnews about the successes at the front of generals A.I. Denikin or N.N. Judenich were meant to compensate for own defeats. As a whole thepropaganda image of "a uniform strategic front of struggle against the Bolsheviks" acted for the Omsk government as an important tool offormation of political identity, population mobilization for the struggle against the Soviet power.

Keywords

Authors

References