“The collapse of the old state and social order”: 1917 as eflected in the liberal mirror of “Vestnik Evropy” (“The Bulletin of Europe”)

The article deals with the journalism of the Russian liberal journal “Vestnik Evropy” (“The Bulletin of Europe”) in 1917. It analyzes the topics and content of the journal’s articles, its leading publicists’ opinions about the collapse of Russian autocracy, the February revolution and its aftermath. The article focuses on the journal’s coverage of the growing social and political crisis in Tsarist Russia during the penultimate year of the World War I. It concludes that during this period “Vestnik Evropy” sharply criticized the government for refraining from social and political reform. The liberal publicists of the journal welcomed The February revolution and the establishment of The Provisional Government, but they soon were disappointed with its “sorrowful outcome”, their disappointment with the policies of liberal and socialist parties growing on with the growing crisis. This triggered their criticism of the Provisional Government. On the other hand, their evaluation of General L.G. Kornilov’s views and activities as well as those of the Bolsheviks, the radical left, was even more negative.