Village Youth in the Events of the Russian Revolution of 1905-1907: Based on Documents from the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Empire

Scientific article

doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1026-1044

For citation

Bezgin, Vladimir B., Ippolitov, Vladimir A. (2025). Village youth in the events of the Russian revolution of 1905-1907: according to documents of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Empire, Herald of an Archivist, no. 4, pp. 1026-1044, doi 10.28995/2073-0101-2025-4-1026-1044

Bezgin, Vladimir B., Ippolitov, Vladimir A., Tambov State Technical University, Tambov, Russia

Village Youth in the Events of the Russian Revolution of 1905-1907: Based on Documents from the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Empire

Abstract

This study examines the participation of rural youth in the events of the first Russian revolution. The relevance of the work stems from the importance of understanding the generational specifics of the revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Most contemporary and international researchers focus on representatives of political parties and various social strata, while the generational cross-section of society remains poorly understood. The authors believe that a generational approach will allow for a deeper understanding of the period under study and the protest practices employed by young peasants. The source for the study was Fond 1405—the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Empire, housed in the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). It contains petitions for clemency from convicted peasants of the studied generation, who were serving sentences for revolutionary activity. These documents are of interest because they were not intended for a general audience and contained objective information. The records of appeals filed by convicted persons contain comprehensive information on the specific offense, enabling an objective analysis of the activities of young revolutionaries. The object of this study is the participation of representatives of the generation under study in the events of 1905–1907. The aim of the work was to examine the anti-government practices of peasants during the 1905–1907 revolution. The authors identified forms of political crimes and provided a statistical analysis of the types of punishments for their commission. The research methodology is based on the application of the concept of generational history, statistical analysis, and a problematic approach. The novelty of the work lies in the statistical analysis of revolutionary practices applicable to a single generation that played a decisive role in the events of the early 20th century. It was established that the most frequently committed crime among young peasants in 1905–1907 was the distribution, possession, and production of leaflets with revolutionary content. A factor in the growing revolutionary process was the sharp increase in the number of members of radical political organizations, which included young people from the village. Representatives of this generation became active participants in the strike movement and often served as its organizers. An analysis of documents shows that armed uprisings and terrorist acts were not the predominant practice among minors. More than half of the cases studied concerned the distribution of leaflets and participation in illegal political groups. It was established that the most common punishment for participants in the events of 1905–1907 from this generation was imprisonment in a fortress for eight months. For more serious crimes, the sentences included exile, hard labor, imprisonment in a fortress for 1–3 years, or exile to a settlement. The study demonstrated that the mass participation of young peasants was a key factor in the growth of the protest movement in 1905–1907.

Keywords

Peasantry, generations, youth, agitation, revolution, political parties, strike movement, terror.

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About authors

Bezgin Vladimir B., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Tambov State Technical University, Department of History and Philosophy, Chief Researcher, Professor, Tambov, Russian Federation, +7-910-758-43-83, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0002-7074-6823

Ippolitov Vladimir A., Candidate of Historical Sciences, Tambov State Technical University, Department of History and Philosophy, Senior Researcher, Associate Professor, Tambov, Russian Federation, +7-920-479-62-06, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0001-9327-3865

Grant information

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, grant No. 22-18-00132-P, https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-00132/

The article was received in the editorial office on 15.06.2025, recommended for publication on 20.09.2025.