The exile to Olonets province on the eve of the first Russian revolution (on the archive materials of the Ministry of Justice)

On the basis of documentary materials preserved in the funds of the Ministry of Justice, cases of the expulsion of the monarchy’s political opponents to Olonets Province in 1903-1904 are considered. The archive materials are introduced into the scientific circulation for the first time. The purpose of the study is to trace the fate of people exiled to this province and to reveal the reasons of their expulsion. Before the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, the deportation to this province was an infrequent phenomenon, but in 1904, when the northern regions became the only place of the exile, the number of politically unreliable people in Olonets Province began to increase. In addition, part of the exiled, who were supposed to go to Siberia, were sent into the northern regions, including Olonets Province. People from different social groups and of different political persuasions were brought into the region. In this respect the province did not very much differ from other areas used for the political exile. Young (and very young) people predominated among those who were exiled on the reports of the Ministry of Justice. This is probably explained by the fact that the exile to Olonets Province was one of the most gentle punishments. Therefore, those who joined revolutionary groups “out of stupidity” happened to be among the exiled.