Newspaper as a source of study anti-Bolshevik armed forces east of Russia (1918-1919)

The article discusses the informational potential of newspapers in relation to the study of anti-Bolshevik forces, operating in the Urals, Siberia and the Russian Far East in 1918- 1919. The newspapers published on the territory free of Soviet power are an important source for the study of issues of military construction, morale of troops and combat activities of the White Army. Regardless of political orientation, statutes and decrees of the supreme bodies of state power, including the appeals and mobilizing troops in the various categories of the population, orders of commanders at all levels, staffs operational reports and reports on combat activities of the army were published in them. Newspapers contain a wealth of information on the manpower of the army. From May-June 1919 in connection with the beginning of the defeat at the front published in the press higher headquarters` operational reports became shorter and not always objective, and in official and public-oriented newspapers the volume of military-historical information was sharply reduced. In this regard, the newspapers contain a wide empirical data, reflecting the success of the White armies, but little specific information related to their failures and ultimate collapse. The informational potential of newspapers depended on their political and ideological orientation. Until September-October 1918 in all the papers, regardless of their political orientation, anti-Bolshevik general context presented. With the coming to power of Admiral Kolchak, who was perceived by the Socialist-Revolutionaries as a greater evil than Bolshevism, and oppositional pro-Eser and pro-Menshevik media drastically reduced the publication of materials related to combat activities of Kolchak’s army in the anti-Bolshevik front. Therefore, the officials provided the maximum information content, including military and semi-official, non-party, the Cadet and pro-monarchic publication.