Mobilization Measures and Informing the Peasants of the Smolensk Province About the Events of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878

Abstract

This article reports on mobilization activities and coverage of the events of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 among the peasants of the Smolensk province. The main attention is paid to the activities of the Smolensk provincial military presence and peasant self-government bodies in organizing mobilization and informing the local population about the course of hostilities. The study of these issues made it possible to determine the attitude of the Smolensk peasants to the war, and to identify the characteristic practices of the local population in providing material assistance to the families of the mobilized. The author concludes that for the Smolensk peasants, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 was closely connected with the idea of the liberation of the Slavic peoples of the Balkan Peninsula. The positive attitude of the peasants towards the war contributed to the implementation of mobilization measures by the provincial administration on the territory of the province.