Tragic 1905 on the pages of “kubanskie oblastnye vedomosti” newspaper: battles in china and the revolution in Russia

Introduction. The article describes the events of 1905: the final stage of the Russo-Japanese War and the initial stage of the First Russian Bourgeois-Democratic Revolution. Methods and materials. The Author uses “Kubanskie Oblastnye Vedomosti” newspaper publications, which were published in Ekaterinodar, as a historical source. The articles, touching upon the events of the Russo-Japanese War and the revolution in varying degrees, were subjected to analysis. The author uses the dialectical method of scientific knowledge and the principle of historicism. For in-depth studying publications in periodicals, the method of “sampling” was used, with the help of which groups of publications of a single thematic focus were formed. To study the factors that influenced the activities of the editorial board (the choice of publications of certain content, the frequency of publishing information increasing or decreasing the volume of publications), the historical and typological analysis was used. Analysis. The article highlights the role of the Cossacks in these two historical events. It shows the role of this newspaper in shaping the ideas of Kuban region inhabitants, especially the Cossacks, about the events of the Russo-Japanese War and the Revolution. Reporting the battles in Manchuria and revolutionary demonstrations in Russia (strikes, rallies, demonstrations) “Kubanskie Oblastnye Vedomosti” newspaper protected the autocracy and supported the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian government. Results. The analysis of the publications shows that authors of the articles established a close connection between the internal and foreign political events of 1905. Readers were convinced that the reason for the defeat in the war with Japan was the revolutionary movement in Russia. Loyalty to the oath, protecting the imperial power even in the tragic years of wars and revolutions remained the basis of the Cossacks’ spiritual power. The Cossacks demonstrated heroism in the fight against the Japanese and the honghuzi in China. In the same period, the Cossacks took part in suppressing revolutionary uprisings in the Kuban region and Black Sea province. The Russo-Japanese War and the Bourgeois- Democratic Revolution had a great influence on forming both positive and negative image of the Cossacks in the eyes of compatriots.