Imagining the Russian Community: Novoye Russkoe Slovo, the First Red Scare, and the Palmer Raids, 1919-1920

Abstract

ABSTRACT The years 1919 and 1920 were challenging for the Russian immigrant community in America. The already existing atmosphere of the First Red Scare escalated during and after the Palmer Raids. This study examines how the Palmer Raids were covered on the pages of one of the oldest and most influential Russian ethnic newspapers in the United States, Novoye Russkoe Slovo (New Russian Word). Through the textual analysis of news reports, opinion pieces, feature stories, and letters to the editor published in Novoye Russkoe Slovo from November 1919 to January 1920, this article demonstrates that the newspaper helped build and sustain an imagined community of Russian immigrants during profound political and social challenges. The article shows how the newspaper skillfully combined the “fact” and “forum” functions of the press in its different sections to help readers make sense of the raids, support each other, and maintain community ties.