THE STRUGGLE AGAINST REVOLUTIONARY AND ANTI-WAR PROPAGANDA IN 1914-1916 (ON THE MATERIALS OF SMOLENSK PROVINCE)

Abstract

With the outbreak of World War I, Smolensk police and gendarmerie faced the activation of revolutionary and anti-war elements in society. The military situation was taken as an advantage of not only by revolutionary organizations, but also by enemy intelligence. The use of mass agitation and propaganda in the rear of the Russian army allowed not only to receive intelligence information, but also to destabilize the state of Russian troops at the front and in the rear. The activity of revolutionary propaganda made it possible to achieve the set goals in the form of undermining the fighting efficiency of Russian troops and mass surrender of soldiers.