A.K. Vydrin’s Memoirs as a Source on the History of the Civil War

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the need for an objective study of events related to the history of the civil war. The study of archival sources by the Tsaritsyn (since 1925 – Stalingrad) Commission for the collection and processing of materials on the history of the October Revolution and the Civil War (histparty) will expand the documentary base for researchers on this topic. The purpose of the article is to conduct a source and archeographic study of the memoirs of one of the prominent figures of the Civil War. The author’s tasks were to identify the memories of A.K. Vydrin in the Stalingrad Histparty Fund, study the biography of their author, and analyze the preserved memories as a historical source on the history of Tsaritsyn 1918–1920. Methods and materials. The article is based on archival documents and materials from the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History and the State Archive of the Volgograd region. The study of archival documents was based on the principles of source studies and critical analysis of historical sources. In the 1920s and 1930s, the memoirs of eyewitnesses to the events were published, including those of participants in the fighting on the Tsaritsyn front (V. Alekseev, S. Minin, etc.). However, most of the memories have not yet been introduced into scientific circulation. Analysis. When analyzing the memories, the author’s personality is characterized, and a textual and factual study of the text is carried out. Results. The result of the study is a biography of a participant in the civil war and the historical value of memories as a source on the history of Tsaritsyn at the beginning of the twentieth century. Authors’ contribution. O.V. Rvacheva analyzed the activities of the Histparty Commission, described the tasks of forming narrative sources, characterized the memoirs as a specific source base, and revealed information that reveals the historical value of A.K. Vydrin’s memoirs (historical events, personalities that complement the historical picture of revolutionary events and the civil war in Tsaritsyn). I.S. Petrova performed an archeographic description and analysis of A.K. Vydrin’s memoirs, assessed the significance of the memoirs for studying the revolution and the civil war in Tsaritsyn, and prepared the text of the source for publication.