THE ACTIVITIES OF THE INFORMATIVE AND CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OF ADMIRAL A.V. KOLCHAK ON UNITING AND COORDINATING ANTIBOLSHEVIST PROPAGANDA (SPRING - AUTUMN 1919): THE DEPARTMENTAL AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL MEETINGS

An important feature of the Russian Civil War was the underlying clash of political beliefs, the conflict of ideologies. It was this ideological rift of social forces, which involved many millions of the inhabitants of the great empire, that gave the opposition a particularly violent and uncompromising character. In the early 1919, Omsk Government and the Headquarters had rather branched information and propaganda bodies. As a part of the Administration Council of Ministers, there was a press department (headed by A.I. Mankiewicz). The press department and a number of ministries were functioning. The military department had an informant department and a press department at the General Headquarters. In late January at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander a Special Office was formed (Oskanverh), headed by Captain P.N. Zubov. Propaganda (information) departments were functioning with the headquarters of separate armies; in early March, they were converted to special office (oskanarmy). In these conditions, there was a deliberate and systematic work to streamline and harmonize the activities of all promotional agencies of the Omsk Government, to outline their powers. The main form of coordination of anti-Bolshevik propaganda in the east of Russia in the spring and autumn of 1919 were departmental and interdepartmental meetings. On March 7, 1919 The Council of Ministers of the Omsk Government issued a decree on the establishment of a permanent Conference for the press. On the territory of the Volga, the Urals and Siberia, the Conference led all the publications. It defined a common government policy in the field of print, provided financial support for newspapers, magazines and publishers of the official directions, dealt with personnel issues, led the advocacy work abroad. During the spring and autumn of 1919 there were several inter-agency meetings organized by the military propaganda (the Press Department of the General Staff, Osvedverh) and the Russian press bureau. At these meetings, the issues particularly related to the spread of agitation and propaganda among the troops and the population were discussed. However, with all the initiatives, the real unification and harmonization of informative, cultural, educational and publishing trends in the activity of Kolchak's propaganda did not happen. The main obstacle was the lack of a comprehensive political program and a coherent ideological doctrine, which deprived the Omsk propaganda workers of the very basis for their activities.

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