Secession of the south and the American civil war on the pages of the Russian magazine “Domestic notes” (1861-1865)

This article examines the coverage of the secession (i.e. separation) of the South, the causes, features, beginning, course and end of the Civil War in the United States on the pages of the Russian magazine “Otechestvennye zapiski” (“Domestic Notes”) (1861-1865). At the beginning of the conflict, this periodical, much like a significant part of the Russian press of the time, expressed sympathy to the Northern states, while condemning the slave-holding South.Generally, detailed accounts of battles were absent from Russian periodicals; instead, they focused on the underlying causes, significant features, and the initial and final phases of the “American War.” The author of this article focuses on how the perspectives of contributors to “Otechestvennye zapiski” magazine evolved regarding the key events associated with the Southern states’ secession and the Civil War. The article outlines the methods and strategies employed to cover events from 1861 to 1865 in the magazine. Furthermore, it analyzes the factors that influenced shifts in the viewpoints of Russian journalists and publicists concerning this armed conflict as it unfolded. An important aspect addressed in this study is how the representation of the West in general and America in particular in the Russian periodical press corresponded with the perceptions presented in the “Otechestvennye zapiski” magazine about the American Civil War.