Illegal revolutionary printed materials as a means of mobilizing the peasantry and the working class in the Ukrainian provinces of the Russian Empire (1905)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the content of illegal printed materials distributed in the Ukrainian provinces of the Russian Empire in 1905 and to clarify their functional role as an instrument of political mobilization of the population. Particular attention is paid to identifying thematic dominants, forms of agitational influence, rhetorical strategies, and practical recommendations contained in these texts, which directly influenced the character of protest activity. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity, which make it possible to reconstruct the content, functions, and impact of illegal printed materials in the context of the events of 1905. The study employs methods of analysis and synthesis to examine texts and archival materials, the historical-comparative method to correlate the content of publications with the socio-political situation in the Ukrainian provinces of the Russian Empire, and a problem-chronological approach to trace the evolution of mobilization appeals throughout the revolutionary period. Results. The article analyzes illegal printed materials of 1905 in the Ukrainian provinces of the Russian Empire as an instrument of political mobilization of the peasantry and the working class. It is established that revolutionary publications performed not only an ideological function but also an organizational and mobilizing one. The main types of agitational texts are identified: programmatic, mobilizing, instructional, and propagandistic. Based on archival materials, the scale of the dissemination of illegal literature is traced, as well as the relationship between the content of agitational texts and the practice of protest actions among peasants and workers. Conclusions. The article highlights the role of the printed word in the revolutionary processes of the early twentieth century and analyzes the mechanisms that shaped political activism under imperial rule. In 1905, illegal printed materials in the Ukrainian provinces of the Russian Empire became an important tool of political mobilization. They spread socialist and democratic ideas, fostered criticism of the autocracy, and helped coordinate protest actions, legitimizing strikes and mass demonstrations as forms of political struggle.