Ideological and political evolution of the right wing of the Constitutional Democrat Party (Cadet) in Siberia duringthe Revolution and Civil War in the publicistic heritage of V.A. Zhardetsky

The periodical press of Siberia in 1918-1919 is one of the sources, which reflect the attitude of different political parties and groups to the regime and policy of A.V. Kolchak. At the same time the attitude of the government of A.V. Kolchak to the press organs of different orientation and their place reflected the position of the White (Guard) dictatorship concerning the parties and flows. In contrast to the Soviet power, the government of A.V. Kolchak permitted independence of the press, but only in the confined frames. These frames were determined legally and politically. Bolshevik newspapers were forbidden, organs of the left-wing socialistic parties, which confronted the regime (the majority of socialist-revolutionaries and the Mensheviks), so were the explicitly monarchic publications. The political spectrum of legal periodicals was represented by two main trends: liberals led by the Constitutional Democrats, who were the principal political support; and moderate socialists (enes, the part of cooperators, the most right-winged groups of socialist-revolutionaries and the Mensheviks), who were in opposition concerning several issues, but loyal to the regime, which, as they thought, was better in comparison with the Bolsheviks. A number of newspapers kept intermediate position reflecting the viewpoint of the moderate oblastniks. Criticism of the government was permitted only in certain frames. Some newspapers were closed because of the harsh and systematic attacks. In the atmosphere of stratocracy the criticism of the supreme ruler, army command and army was forbidden. The prohibition of the propaganda of the national remote areas self-determination was typical for the imperial ideology of the White. But the discussions were permitted on a wide range of political and social issues. It is easily explained by taking into account the international public opinion and interest of the government in the support of the friendly democratic nations of the Allies. Active support of the dictatorship regime, glorification of A.V. Kolchak and tendency to consolidation of the White movement were typical for liberal press. Socialistic press often criticized the dictatorial style and methods of the government, isolation from wide social circles and narrowness of social support and wanted to convene the Constituent Assembly as soon as possible. In time of war liberals and socialists united in popularisation of the Army of A.V. Kolchak. They also united in struggling against corruption. Liberal newspapers supported actively the government on the national issue. They also supported its position on the main points of the social-economic program. On the contrary, socialistic press criticized the government for moderation and lack of distinctness of laws and actions on the agrarian issue, asked for more active interfering of the government with the economy. At that time its liberal opponents defended the classical market principles. Liberal press played an active role in development and propaganda of the White Movement ideology. Its position changed to harsh criticism of the regime and demand of its democratisation in the environment of A.V. Kolchak's army collapse after the fall of Omsk in November 1919, when it was too late. Comparison of the materials of Siberian periodical press of the times of A.V. Kolchak with other documents allows to disprove the stereotype underestimation of Kolchak as a politician, to trace the pragmatical approach to the special problems and the public positions of different social layers and political groups, whose interests were reflected in the press, their evolution and mutual relations with the regime of military dictatorship, the position and role of the press under the power of Kolchak, to compare them with the position of the press under the Soviet rule. Under all the restraints the press liberty was wider under the power of Kolchak than in Soviet Russia where the building of the totalitarian system began

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