On July 28, 1914, one of the most large-scale conflicts in the history of humanity began, World War One, as a result of which four empires ceased to exist. The participating countries lost more than 10 million soldiers and about 12, or, according to other sources, 20 million civilians.
The reasons for the impending war have been discussed by various philosophers, public figures and writers. For example, the Russian revolutionary, geographer and geomorphologist Peter KropOtkin wrote about the war long before it began, and in 1916, a brochure appeared, composed of two letters that were articles written by Kropotkin and published in the first months of the war in RUsskiye VEdomosti (literally: Russian News).
At the time these brochures attracted general attention both for their argumentation and for the author’s personality. They spread beyond the circle of supporters of Peter Kropotkin’s socio-political doctrine.
The strategic role of Velikiye Luki increased again during World War I. Since 1915, the main railway workshops switched to fulfilling military orders: they made hulls for high-explosive grenades. Throughout the war, goods went through the city to the front and from the front in three directions: from the north - from Petrograd to Grodno, from the west to the Baltic states and from the east to Moscow.
Educational institutions were evacuated from Estonia and Latvia to the city, and the number of students in Velikiye Luki increased to three thousand. A large number of military units, hospitals, prisoners of war and evacuees accumulated here.
Small brochures on four sheets with the text of the ‘Salvation Prayer of a Soldier going to the Battlefield’ were published by the state and distributed to soldiers. The brochure, which is kept in the museum’s exposition, was small in size - only about 8.5 by 6 centimeters - and could easily fit into a pocket. The soldiers could keep it in their coats.
On the back of the title page there is a typographical inscription: “Authorized by the military censorship on February 11, 1916, No. 951”. In the same place, on the back, upside down, there is a handwritten postscript: “Down with the Tsar…”, and under it - the names of the two Novikov brothers. The brochure was printed and published by the publishing house “Mir i VoynA” (literally: Peace and War), which was located in PetrogrAd.
The reasons for the impending war have been discussed by various philosophers, public figures and writers. For example, the Russian revolutionary, geographer and geomorphologist Peter KropOtkin wrote about the war long before it began, and in 1916, a brochure appeared, composed of two letters that were articles written by Kropotkin and published in the first months of the war in RUsskiye VEdomosti (literally: Russian News).
At the time these brochures attracted general attention both for their argumentation and for the author’s personality. They spread beyond the circle of supporters of Peter Kropotkin’s socio-political doctrine.
The strategic role of Velikiye Luki increased again during World War I. Since 1915, the main railway workshops switched to fulfilling military orders: they made hulls for high-explosive grenades. Throughout the war, goods went through the city to the front and from the front in three directions: from the north - from Petrograd to Grodno, from the west to the Baltic states and from the east to Moscow.
Educational institutions were evacuated from Estonia and Latvia to the city, and the number of students in Velikiye Luki increased to three thousand. A large number of military units, hospitals, prisoners of war and evacuees accumulated here.
Small brochures on four sheets with the text of the ‘Salvation Prayer of a Soldier going to the Battlefield’ were published by the state and distributed to soldiers. The brochure, which is kept in the museum’s exposition, was small in size - only about 8.5 by 6 centimeters - and could easily fit into a pocket. The soldiers could keep it in their coats.
On the back of the title page there is a typographical inscription: “Authorized by the military censorship on February 11, 1916, No. 951”. In the same place, on the back, upside down, there is a handwritten postscript: “Down with the Tsar…”, and under it - the names of the two Novikov brothers. The brochure was printed and published by the publishing house “Mir i VoynA” (literally: Peace and War), which was located in PetrogrAd.
