Archival Documents About the Role of the Authorities and the Orthodox Clergy in the Formation of the Positive Image of the Black Hundreds in Volhyn at the Beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

The aim of the article is to study the role of the authorities and the Orthodox clergy in the formation of a positive image of the Union of the Russian people in Volhyn at the beginning of the 20th century. The author studies a set of archival documents which highlight the key activities of the imperial authorities and the Orthodox clergy in the formation of a positive image of the Pochaiv branch of the Union of the Russian people in the period under study. The research methodology is based on the use of special historical methods (chronological and comparative-historical) and general scientific (analysis, synthesis, and generalization), statistical method, which in combination with the principles of historicism, objectivity, and multifactoriality created the necessary conditions for unbiased coverage. The scientific novelty of the work is that the author, on the basis of archival documents and periodicals, clarified the role of the authorities and the Orthodox clergy in forming a positive image of the Black Hundreds. Much of the archival documents of this work are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. Conclusions. As a result of the events of the first Russian revolution, the imperial government made a number of unprecedented concessions, and in accordance with the manifesto of October 17, 1905, the activities of political parties were allowed. In the autumn of the same year, as a result of the unification of a number of monarchical structures, the Union of the Russian People was formed. Soon Volyn province became one of the leading centers of the Black Hundred movement in the empire. The Black Hundreds enjoyed the support of the imperial authorities, and in Volhynia at the origins of the organization stood the Orthodox clergy, who played a key role in forming the organizational network of the URP. Being on the foundations of the inviolability of the foundations of the autocracy and the Orthodox Church and at the same time carrying out active activities aimed at discrediting their opponents, the Black Hundreds paid important attention to the formation of their positive image. The Orthodox clergy of the region also took an active part in this. Thanks to the support of the authorities, they managed to form the image of ‘defenders of the peasants and the Orthodox faith’ in a relatively short period of time, while blaming opponents of foreigners and non-believers for all the public troubles. On the one hand, this contributed to the growth of the URP's authority, and on the other hand, it exacerbated the already complex interfaith and interethnic relations in Volyn.