Some circumstances of the resignation of the military minister Sukhomlinov

Abstract

The article analyzes the significance of PR campaigns in the course of the political struggle on the eve of the February Revolution. Here we describe one example of a PR campaign against the Military Minister V. A. Sukhomlinov. The authors demonstrate the role of A. I. Guchkov and M. M. Andronikov as their initiators. The propagandistic texts which discredit V. A. Sukhomlinov are introduced into scientific discourse and analyzed for the first time. The definition of ‘public relations’ and ‘propaganda’ is made. The authors explain the thesis of historian B. N. Mironov about using PR technologies in the Russian Empire’s political struggles at the beginning of the 20th century. A. V. Evdokimov and F. A. Seleznev suppose that the counter-elite of the Russian Empire used not propaganda in its struggle for power, which leads to monologue, but PR technologies, which suppose a dialogue with society through the mass media on the eve and during World War I. The authors analyze PR campaigns against Gen. Sukhomlinov as an element of the broader information warfare waged by the counter-elite of the Russian empire against the monarch and a section of the loyal elite finally resulting in the February Revolution. The role of the leader of the Octobrists, A. I. Guchkov, and the newspaper ‘Vechernee Vremya’ in the organization of the PR campaign for discrediting Col. Myasoedov in 1912 is also demonstrated. Also the role of Prince M. M. Andronikov in the creation and distribution of information to discredit the Military Minister V. A. Sukhomlinov is also proven by the authors. The identities of the assistants of Andronikov, which helped him to draw up the anonymous letter about Sukhomlinov and other senior statesmen are uncovered. The authors prove that A. I. Guchkov and M. M. Andronikov cooperated in the struggle against V. A. Sukhomlinov. The PR campaign of 1912 had partial success. S. N. Myasoedov was dismissed but V. A. Sukhomlinov saved his public post. The PR campaign of 1915 was successful because Gen. Sukhomlinov was dismissed. PR technologies on the eve of February Revolution became more and more effective weapons of political struggle. During the process of writing the article 35 bibliographical titles were used. Refs 39.