Home – Home – Jornals – Humanitarian sciences in Siberia 2017 number

February of 1917 in Siberia, like in Russia, showed no signs of any powerful cataclysm. Law enforcers (gendarmes, policemen) stated that in the territory under their jurisdiction “anti-governmental organizations showed no signs of activity...” Information about the events in Petrograd was spread via telegraph across the cities, railway stations, settlements, villages and volosts located along the Omsk, Siberian, Transbaikal, Altai, Kolchugino railroads. Governors were dismissed fr om their positions along with commanders of the Omsk and Irkutsk districts, garrison commanders, while the gendarme officers were arrested. Dismissal of tsarist authorities was paralleled by establishment of various public committees (Committees of Public Security), Soviets of workers’ and soldiers’ deputies, organizations of political parties (RSDRP, PSR, PNS). Local government bodies at the provincial, oblast and uyezd levels were headed by Commissars appointed by the Provisional government. For the most part they were appointed from among the most respected and active members of local communities and leaders of Committes of Public Security. In early March, 1917 the most active social groups included the middle-income urban dwellers, the military, workers and political exiles. They played a dominant role in the political process constituting the social basis for the Committees of Public Security and Soviets as well as for political organizations. By the early 1917 owing to the system of political exile teams of highly professional political technologists had been formed in many Siberian cities wh ere they actively worked later on. The outcomes of the initial stage of the February social cataclysm were summed up on March, 10, 1917, the so-called Revolution Day. It was marked by public prayers, military parades, mass demonstrations and gatherings. Thus, events during the first week of March, 1917 affected only a small part of population, mostly in cities.