From “Russian Manchester” to “red Verden”: Tsaritsyn and the civil war in Russia (1917-1920) (by the materials of the periodical press)

Introduction. The history of Tsaritsyn as a frontier is a unique example of urbanization, the struggle for which was both ideological and strategic. Since the Russian Revolution of 1917, the city has been under pressure from the ideological systems of the “fiery revolutionaries” of 1917, the Bolsheviks and their opponents in 1917-1920. Methods. Using the accumulated historiographical material, based on the material of the local periodical press, practically not put into circulation, an attempt is made to reconstruct the life of Tsaritsyn in 1917-1920. Analysis. The analysis revealed a number of important problems. The central problem of the city was the food issue, which reached a crisis stage under the influence of public criticism of the government’s actions to introduce food appropriation (1916) and was not resolved until the end of the war. The crisis, aggravated by revolutionary actions, introduced the public into (2) a spiritual crisis, which manifested itself in the unwillingness of people to participate in the activities of self-government. Fuel, crime, epidemiological and budgetary problems led to the breakdown of the urban economy and the lack of combat capability of the military. The capture of the city by the Whites in 1919 only worsened the urban economy. The public was in crisis and quickly panicked at reports of the threat of a fall in volunteer power. The return of the city to the leadership of the Red Army and the creation of an independent province with its center in Tsaritsyn led to the gradual restoration of the city on the basis of an industrial base established in the 19th century. Results. Research into the history of Tsaritsyn during the transition years has shown that radical transformations and the inconsistent policyof successive regimes led to the deformation of urban structures, bringing them into a state of permanent crisis. Only the end of hostilities and the establishment of a stable state course of development can provide the potential for the functioning of the city within the state.