The Church and society during the revolutionary events of 1917–1918 (according to the diary entries of Bezhetsky archpriest John Postnikov)

Abstract

The revolutionary years of the last century in Russia and the events to which they led are evaluated in the national historiography is not very unambiguous. This article is an attempt to look at the Russian Revolution of 1917 once again through the prism of provincial Russia. The article touches upon the topic of the relations of society to the Church during the Russian Revolution of 1917, primarily on the basis of the diary entries of Archpriest John Postnikov. Also, the work will briefly present the image of the personality of the author of the diary — Bezhetsky archpriest John Postnikov and a short history of the diary itself. The focus of this article is on the records that characterize the ambiguous attitude of various strata of society towards the Church during the revolutionary events of 1917–1918. These recordings are «micro-plots» that can lead the reader to a more objective assessment of the events taking place at that time. It is especially valuable that the reader of this article is given the opportunity to look at the Church and society of that period from the Russian hinterland — the city of Bezhetsk, Tver province. In the presented work, based on the analysis and study of diary entries, the corresponding conclusions are made.