Alexander Adrianov's and Grigory Potanin's Opinion Journalism in the Newspaper Sibirskaya Zhizn', 1917

The article examines the features of the journalistic activities of the Siberian regionalism leaders Grigory Potanin and Alexander Adrianov in the newspaper Sibirskaya Zhizn' [Siberian Life], which in 1917 became the center of consolidation of anti-Bolshevik forces. Siberian regionalism, a peculiar direction of Russian social thought, arose in the middle of the 19th century as a reaction to the excessive centralization of Russian life. An important stage in the development of regional ideas was 1917-the year of two, February and October, revolutions when regional officials took advantage of the chance to translate their ideas into real political life. This attempt was ultimately unsuccessful due to the prevailing circumstances. In 1917, Adrianov was the editor of Sibirskaya Zhizn', its leading contributor and publicist. Adrianov's publications in 1917 (more than 50 works) can be divided into several thematic blocks discussing: the provisional government, Siberian journalism, war, religion, the Bolsheviks's policy, and some others. Potanin's publications in Sibirskaya Zhizn' in 1917 can also be divided into thematic blocks: portrait essays, the convocation of the regional Siberian Duma, the Bolsheviks. The most significant works were his Vospominaniya [Memoirs]: a series of articles that began in 1913. In them, Potanin talked about his youth, about the emergence of the regional movement, about his travels, and about his acquaintances; he reflected on the events from the height of his experience, being 82 years old at the time. Sibirskaya Zhizn' considered the publication of these memoirs very important for its readers. Comparing the themes of the publications by Adrianov and Potanin, one can see that they did not coincide in many ways. Adrianov wrote more about current political life, covering the themes of war, the Provisional Government, religion, the situation of foreigners, etc. Potanin mainly published his memoirs, and only about ten of his publications are related to the then current time. Nevertheless, thematic intersections can also be observed: both Adrianov and Potanin actively entered into polemic with the Bolsheviks, defending the right of Siberia to a regional rather than Bolshevik path of development. They both responded to the commemoration of Nikolay Chernyshevsky, considering him one of the most significant writers for Russia. As for the problematic field, both Adrianov and Potanin acted in the same direction, which can be described as the education of local patriotism. It is necessary to note the differences in Adrianov's and Potanin's general attitudes associated with their worldviews and journalistic temperaments. In the history of Siberian journalism, Adrianov is known as a harsh, irreconcilable, uncompromising publicist who more than once got into trouble because of his inflexibility. Potanin was more of an analyst who sought to explain everything, give examples and arguments. But on the whole, both publicists always supported and complemented each other, which was demonstrated by the analysis of their publications in Sibirskaya Zhizn' in 1917.

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