Культура доносів та винайдення "внутрішнього ворога" в Києві в роки Першої світової війни
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Date
2017
Authors
Бетлій, Олена
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Abstract
У статті проаналізовано практики доносів та звинувачень, до яких вдавалися кияни для іншування
«внутрішнього ворога». Вказано, яким був офіційний дискурс влади щодо ворожих державі категорій
населення. Розглянуто різні категорії таких ворогів (німецькі та австрійські піддані, російські німці
та євреї, самотні жінки, порушники порядку) та запропоновано пояснення мотивів тих, хто писав
доноси або звертався до поліції зі звинуваченнями на адресу неблагонадійних мешканців Києва.
Any war constructs its own “Other” and depicts its own enemies. One of the most usual ways to do so is to suggest the division line within an urban society dividing it into different groups according to the ethnic origins, social roles, state loyalties, etc. At the early stage of a war, city dwellers woke up as either true citizens of a proper state or as outsiders, traitors, spies, or shirkers. That was a common habitants’ experience of the European multiethnic cities. The article focuses on Kyiv, aiming to explore more deeply various war experiences of the dwellers and to investigate different aspects of otherness discourse in the city during the wartime. Perception of the other was quite a sensitive issue during the war. There were many nuances in replicated images which reflected official politics and practices of self-representations as a true citizen/patriot, the studies of which lead to a better understanding of a new social order within an urban community in the home front. The paper aims at exploring how city-dwellers in Kyiv reacted to the campaigns against spies, traitors, prostitutes, Austrians, Germans, Jews, started by the Russian government at the beginning of WWI, in order to examine how and for what purposes the authors of denunciations and anonymous letters exploited the “images of the enemy” defined by the state. The claim is that “enemyhunting” was often a justified means to resolve long-standing conflicts between two parties. At the same time, as analyzed materials show, one can see that the society knew how to identify and destroy an “internal enemy” during the war period. There were people ready to use denunciation as an instrument to deal with their own enemies or to punish those who looked suspicious. The official orders and the press showed them how to achieve this goal, and whom and on which purpose to blame. In contrast to Stalin’s Soviet Union, the police, court, and even military officials were willing to investigate each particular case. Thus, there was still a room for justice. Finally, as is demonstrated in the article, there were some positive consequences of denunciations, which led to some solutions and improvements.
Any war constructs its own “Other” and depicts its own enemies. One of the most usual ways to do so is to suggest the division line within an urban society dividing it into different groups according to the ethnic origins, social roles, state loyalties, etc. At the early stage of a war, city dwellers woke up as either true citizens of a proper state or as outsiders, traitors, spies, or shirkers. That was a common habitants’ experience of the European multiethnic cities. The article focuses on Kyiv, aiming to explore more deeply various war experiences of the dwellers and to investigate different aspects of otherness discourse in the city during the wartime. Perception of the other was quite a sensitive issue during the war. There were many nuances in replicated images which reflected official politics and practices of self-representations as a true citizen/patriot, the studies of which lead to a better understanding of a new social order within an urban community in the home front. The paper aims at exploring how city-dwellers in Kyiv reacted to the campaigns against spies, traitors, prostitutes, Austrians, Germans, Jews, started by the Russian government at the beginning of WWI, in order to examine how and for what purposes the authors of denunciations and anonymous letters exploited the “images of the enemy” defined by the state. The claim is that “enemyhunting” was often a justified means to resolve long-standing conflicts between two parties. At the same time, as analyzed materials show, one can see that the society knew how to identify and destroy an “internal enemy” during the war period. There were people ready to use denunciation as an instrument to deal with their own enemies or to punish those who looked suspicious. The official orders and the press showed them how to achieve this goal, and whom and on which purpose to blame. In contrast to Stalin’s Soviet Union, the police, court, and even military officials were willing to investigate each particular case. Thus, there was still a room for justice. Finally, as is demonstrated in the article, there were some positive consequences of denunciations, which led to some solutions and improvements.
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Keywords
доноси, внутрішній ворог, Київ, Перша світова війна, denunciations, internal enemy, Kyiv, WWI, стаття
Citation
Бетлій Олена В'ячеславівна. Культура доносів та винайдення "внутрішнього ворога" в Києві в роки Першої світової війни / Бетлій О. В. // Наукові записки НаУКМА. Історичні науки. - 2017. - Т. 194. - С. 64-72.