Soldiers in the Social and Political Life of Voronezh in the Spring and Summer of 1917

Abstract

This paper analyzes the social and political activity of the Voronezh garrison soldiers in the spring and summer of 1917. One of the steady trends that emerged throughout the period was the unstoppable growth of anti-war sentiments among soldiers, who were constantly under threat of being moved from the rear to the fronts of World War I. This factor had a decisive influence on their political activity. In general, it can be stated that, starting from the turn of May and June, sympathy for the Bolsheviks was growing among the soldier masses. This process was interrupted by the city authorities in July 1917, when a significant number of Bolshevik soldiers were sent to the war zone. However, the situation changed in August, when machine-gun soldiers who had been transferred from Siberia and were massively sympathetic to Bolshevik ideas found themselves in Voronezh. Another important factor in the social life of Voronezh was the anti-social behavior of significant groups of soldiers, often manifested in criminal activity. This problem was the subject of unsuccessful concerns of the city's civilian and military leaders.