TY - CHAP

T1 - GRASSROOTS EXECUTIONS1 OF NAVAL OFFICERS BY SEAMEN:

T2 - Myth and reality of violence during the Russian Revolution, 1917-1918

AU - Nazarenko, K.

N1 - Export Date: 01 November 2025; Cited By: 0

PY - 2025/2/24

Y1 - 2025/2/24

N2 - Russia experienced a wave of killings of naval officers by enlisted men in 1917-early 1918. The events resonated widely and were much discussed both by contemporary observers and subsequent scholars. What is more, rather than remaining an object of pure academic concern, these events were a mass consciousness- and culture-shaping phenomenon that led to the emergence of enduring myths among post-Soviet communities. The purpose of this chapter is to measure the perceived extent of this spate of grassroots violence against its real historical dimensions. The argument proceeds in two parts. First, the chapter outlines the favorable image of the “old” officer that emerged and persisted in Soviet mass culture from the 1920s to the 1980s and considers its impact on the historiography regarding revolutionary violence against the officer corps. Then, drawing on archival documents, it presents comprehensive figures on violence directed against naval officers. Finally, the chapter considers the reasons behind the discrepancy between the vivid public response to the killing of naval officers and the rather lukewarm reaction to similar violent incidents within the army. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

AB - Russia experienced a wave of killings of naval officers by enlisted men in 1917-early 1918. The events resonated widely and were much discussed both by contemporary observers and subsequent scholars. What is more, rather than remaining an object of pure academic concern, these events were a mass consciousness- and culture-shaping phenomenon that led to the emergence of enduring myths among post-Soviet communities. The purpose of this chapter is to measure the perceived extent of this spate of grassroots violence against its real historical dimensions. The argument proceeds in two parts. First, the chapter outlines the favorable image of the “old” officer that emerged and persisted in Soviet mass culture from the 1920s to the 1980s and considers its impact on the historiography regarding revolutionary violence against the officer corps. Then, drawing on archival documents, it presents comprehensive figures on violence directed against naval officers. Finally, the chapter considers the reasons behind the discrepancy between the vivid public response to the killing of naval officers and the rather lukewarm reaction to similar violent incidents within the army. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/782017c1-b92e-32a0-ab6b-2a4efbd38eda/

U2 - 10.4324/9781003306368-17

DO - 10.4324/9781003306368-17

M3 - глава/раздел

SN - 9781040333242 (ISBN); 9781032307138 (ISBN)

SP - 201

EP - 218

BT - Violence and Propaganda in European Civil Wars: Dimensions of Conflict, 1917-1949

PB - Taylor & Francis

ER -