The impact of the October Revolution on life in the region was discussed in Vitebsk
October 1917 evoked and continues to evoke controversial opinions. However, as Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Ivan Mandrik, who moderated the discussion, noted, the assessment of the October Revolution must be approached with sound arguments. In this case, for representatives of different viewpoints, it will be evident that it became the greatest turning point in human history, which largely forced a new understanding of the political, economic, cultural, and social components of human life. The participants of the round table focused on discussing the impact of those events on life in the Vitebsk Governorate and how the revolution affected the lives of ordinary people.
In recent years, the archival fund "Collection of Documents on Participants of the Great October Socialist Revolution, Civil War, Great Patriotic War, and Veterans of Party and Labor" has gained particular popularity in the State Archive of the Vitebsk Region. It is in demand by researchers, local historians, students, and simply history enthusiasts.
"The history of everyday life has become a popular trend in historiography, where studied events are viewed from the perspective of their direct participants. This archival fund began to be formed for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, and today it contains 484 files, including about 100 consisting of memoirs from participants of the revolutionary years, original documents they transferred, photographs, and other evidence of that era," said Elena Bondareva, Head of the Department of the Regional State Archive.
Some of the foundation's materials were presented in an exhibition specially prepared for the event. Here, one could also get acquainted with another exhibition of the state archive. It was created for the 100th anniversary of the revolution and has enjoyed constant popularity ever since.
– The idea of the exhibition is to show the sequence of events of the difficult year 1917, from the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II to the revolutionary events of October, – explained Tatyana Buevich, Deputy Director of the Regional State Archive.
Participants showed particular interest in the theses of Tatyana Buevich's research on the organization of supply of everyday goods to the population after the events of October 1917. Alexander Dedinkin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, presented fragments of his research on the national policy of Soviet power, which, in his opinion, made it possible to form a great community – the Soviet people.