TWO LIVES OF A STATE OFFICIAL YAKOV VASILYEVICH GLINKA

Abstract

Background. The subject of this article is the reconstruction of the biography of a prominent statesman of imperial Russia, and in the Soviet era – theatrical artist Yakov Vasilyevich Glinka. An analysis of the life path of the head of the State Duma Chancellery and the Senator provides an opportunity to recreate the main stages of his career in the Government Senate and in the Chancellery of the First Russian Parliament. The reconstruction was carried out on the basis of a set of sources: the diary and memoirs of Ya. V. Glinka, archival documents and other materials, which made it possible to show his feelings and emotions arising in the course of communication with the chairmen of the State Duma, to identify assessments of the activities of state figures of the Duma era and the period of the Great Russian Revolution. An attempt was made to analyze the social and psychological state of Ya. V. Glinka in the conditions of revolutionary chaos and the Civil War. It is noted that in order to preserve the family and spiritual values, to survive under the conditions of the implementation of the socialist experiment, he was forced to master new social and industrial practices. Materials and methods. The source base of the research was “The Diary and Memoirs” by Ya. V. Glinka, memoirs of an artist from Ulyanovsk N. F. Mitrofanov and Internet resources. The analysis of these documentary materials using the historical and biographical method makes it possible to make significant adjustments in the reconstruction of the activities of the State Duma. The methods of personal and socio-cultural history and microhistory were applied to weave the life of an individual into the fabric of social transformations: official activity and everyday reality, to show a “personal view” of historical events at the beginning of the 20th century. Results. The article assesses the effectiveness of Ya. V. Glinka’s activities in organizing the work of the First Russian Parliament. It is noted that his diary entries contain a large pool of valuable historical information about the functioning of the First Russian Parliament at the beginning of the 20th century. An analysis of the relationship between the author of the “Diary and Memoirs” and the chairmen of the State Duma is given, as well as an assessment of their activities. The testimony of a very knowledgeable official, who is in the midst of the Duma passions, makes it possible to make adjustments to the portraits of political figures of the early 20th century, such as A. I. Guchkov, M. V. Rodzianko, P. A. Stolypin, A. F. Kerensky and others. The brilliant career of the real councilor of the State and senator was interrupted by the Great Russian Revolution of 1917. In the conditions of revolutionary chaos and the Civil War, he managed to survive, save his family and start a career as an artist in Soviet theaters. The reconstruction of the Ulyanovsk period of life of Ya. V. Glinka and members of his family made it possible to recreate the picture of Glinka’s everyday life in the context of the implementation of the socialist project. Conclusions. A conclusion is derived that during the Ulyanovsk period of his life (1938–1950) the Russian statesman and theatrical artist managed not only to master new social practices, keep his family and diary, but also to complete work on his memories. The scientific significance of Ya. V. Glinka’s narratives is undoubtedly necessary to recreate the panorama of the political history of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century and the Great Russian Revolution. The scientific significance of the reconstruction of the biography of Ya. V. Glinka consists in describing one of the possible ways of survival of a representative of the elite estate of the Russian Empire in the extreme conditions of the Soviet era.

Keywords

• history of everyday life
• ya. v. glinka
• statesman
• theater artist
• state duma