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A. I. GUCHKOV AND “THE UNION OF OCTOBER 17” IN THE ASSESSMENTS OF S. I. SMIRNOVA-SAZONOVA: BASED ON THE WRITER’S UNPUBLISHED DIARY (1905–1907)

History of Russia: from ancient times to 1917 , UDC: 94(47).083 DOI: 10.24412/2076-9105-2026-161-35-54

Authors

  • Ivanov Andrey A. Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Russian Federation Saint-Petersburg
  • Pystina Polina A. Russian Federation Saint-Petersburg

Annotation

This article examines the attitude of writer and journalist S. I. Smirnova-Sazonova toward “The Union of October 17” and its leaders during the First Russian Revolution. Particular attention is given to Smirnova-Sazonova’s relationship with Octobrist leader A. I. Guchkov. Excerpts from the writer’s unpublished diary for 1905–1907, Smirnova-Sazonova’s publications during this period in the newspapers “Novoye Vremya” and “Golos Moskvy”, and as individual brochures, as well as Guchkov’s letters to the journalist, now housed in the collection of the Institute of Russian Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, are introduced into scholarly circulation. Based on materials from Smirnova-Sazonova’s diary, the story of her brief collaboration with the Octobrists is reconstructed, and the reasons for the conservative journalist’s subsequent disillusionment with the leaders of “The Union of October 17” are demonstrated. It is noted that, having initially considered the Octobrists to be right-wing and even Black Hundreds, Smirnova- Sazonova changed her mind about them by the end of the First Russian Revolution. Adhering to moderate right-wing political views and sympathizing with counterrevolutionary Russian parties, the renowned writer came to the disappointing conclusion that the Octobrist leaders had turned left, veered left, and begun to transform into a liberal opposition party.

How to link insert

Ivanov, A. A. & Pystina, P. A. (2026). A. I. GUCHKOV AND “THE UNION OF OCTOBER 17” IN THE ASSESSMENTS OF S. I. SMIRNOVA-SAZONOVA: BASED ON THE WRITER’S UNPUBLISHED DIARY (1905–1907) Bulletin of the Moscow City Pedagogical University. Series "Pedagogy and Psychology", № 1 (61), 35. https://doi.org/10.24412/2076-9105-2026-161-35-54
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