Проявления политического насилия в Петроградском гарнизоне в мае –июле 1917 г.
Political Violence in the Petrograd Garrison in May-July 1917

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes a unique phenomenon in the struggle for power in 1917 — the destruction of posters and banners by the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison. Demonstrations featuring political slogans were a very popular political activity and sometimes the cause of big conflicts between different social groups. Most often destroyed were posters of a patriotic nature. In this case, the influence of left-wing parties was minimal, sufficing only to create a tense atmosphere in which open conflicts could erupt. Direct appeals of the Bolshevik party and its allies to participate in such actions have not been uncovered. The author examines some of the most important cases where enemy posters served at the target of such aggression. This approach allows for some distance from the social conflicts in the society of that period and casts light chiefly on the political component of these activities. On the basis of archival and press sources, the author argues that a special grassroots political culture formed within which violence became a natural part of the struggle for power. At the heart of this peasant soldier behavior was a special understanding of the freedom of speech and rules of political struggle. In this way it is becomes clear how they understood the revolution and the “new regime.”.

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