Periodicals as a source on the history of the 1917

Abstract

The article analyzes the content of three newspapers published in the provincial city of Perm in 1917: the official “Perm Herald of the Provisional Government”, the Menshevik “Perm Life” and the Zemstvo “Perm Zemstvo Week”. The archival materials on the history of the revolution of 1917, especially in the regions that became a theater of mili-tary operations during the Civil War, are clearly not enough, so the newspapers of the revolution period are of special value and interest. Unfortunately, their safety leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, newspapers are sometimes the only source of the history of 1917. Despite certain subjectivism reflecting the political preferences of newspapers, they make it possible to present various aspects of the life of the province and to fill the gap from the lost archival sources. Provincial newspapers gave a significant place to the reports of the Petrograd Telegraph Agency. Most of the materials were devoted to social, political and economic life of the region. Periodic printing was the most important tool in the struggle for the masses. Depending on the political direction of the newspaper, facts were selected and events were commented on. At the same time, the role of the periodical press in the struggle should not be exaggerated, especially since newspapers of one political orientation do not give the possibility to present an objective picture of the develop-ment of the revolution. doi: 10.17072/2219-3111-2017-2-17-26